The forbidden garden
by Take-bamboo
Summary: On his tenth birthday, the prince set out to find out who his mother was and what lies behind the forbidden garden. Will he be able to face the painful truth.
1. The forbidden garden

To all readers: I am re-updating my stories. This is my second attempt to write a story on sess/kag. Well, just to tell you guys this is not a sequel to the previous story, just another story. Anyway, this story will mainly revolve around the prince of the Western land, Yoshiaki (righteous glory).

The forbidden garden 禁止の庭園

The castle of the western land was built high up in a mountain. It had many different blocks of buildings and was well protected with a defensive wall surrounding it. When one stood along the corridor of the different wings of each building, one could view breathtaking scenes of the Western lands. Every building in the castle served different purposes, there was one for administration works, another for military, etc. Every day, hundreds of workers living in the Western castle will start their daily routine, with the guards guiding at respective venues, maids preparing food and brewing tea and scholars writing reports and analyzing statistics. They would be busy streaming around in the castle, except for one place- the forbidden garden.

The youkais know not of what was in the forbidden garden. Except that it was hidden behind the left building and it was secluded and protected with a barrier. The youkais usually did not pay attention to it as the Western Lord had prohibited Youkais of any rank to step foot into the place.

Curiosity grew among very few youkais and the topic about who resided in the place was only gossiped once in a blue moon. The first rumor came when a handful of humans were seen loitering in the forbidden garden by some youkais. It was said that the humans were slaves of the Western Lord. These humans had all committed crimes and their punishments were to work in the forbidden garden for life. Some who questioned why the Western Lord did not just end the humans' misery life suggested that the lord kept them for further torturing. It has been more than a decade since that no one solved the mystery.

Five years ago, a tori youkai tried to find out what lies behind the barrier and flew across the stonewalls that concealed the forbidden garden. It was rumored it came across a human slave and questioned the human slave. However, the tori youkai was unable to get any answers, as the human slave was mute. Disappointed, the tori youkai prepared to leave the place but was caught red handed by the Western lord himself. Inevitably, the tori youkai was punished, it was tortured badly, and its feathers were plucked off before it was burnt alive. Since then, no one dared to try to step close to the barrier anymore and little was mentioned about the forbidden garden.

Not until, the young prince of the Western lands turned ten.

The young prince was the only heir of the Western land at the moment. He was given the name, Yoshiaki by the lord and grew up under the great care and guidance of various female youkais in the nursery. The birth and the mother of the young prince were yet another mystery to the youkais in the Western lands, which no one dared to raise these questions to the Western Lord.

Yoshiaki was brought up by many female youkais, who were all mates of high ranking officials and generals. The youkais in the Western lands adored Yoshiaki and was always captivated by his beautiful sapphire eyes. They knew the young prince must have inherited this rare eye colour from his mother for their lord had golden eyes. Other than that, the young prince looked exactly like the Western lord.

Though Yoshiaki grew up with his foster mothers, who showered him with much love and care, he began to question about who was his biological mother. Gradually, he yearned for his mother's touch, care and most of all love. He felt that the strongest when he saw his playmates, the pups of his foster mothers, being hugged and nuzzled by their mothers. He was not jealous of them, just felt empty, like a part of him was missing.

Yoshiaki dreamt of his mother. However, in these dreams, it was always a woman figure hugging him closely with her arms and singing lullabies to him. He could not see the face of the lady, only the shining sapphire eyes that were looking at him dearly.

He tried asking his foster mothers about his mother but they all gave him the same respond. "That I do not know, Yoshiaki sama." Then, he tried asking the guards, the kitchen maids, the gardeners, his teachers, the generals, anyone he came upon across but no one could give him an answer he wanted.

One day, a general suggested to him. "My little lord, why don't you ask Lord Sesshoumaru about this matter? I am sure the lord will answer your question."

So, Yoshiaki went to ask his father. He walked down the corridors and came to the lord's working room. He knocked and went in. His father was busy reading the pile of papers on his desk. _Paperworks.__I__don't__think__I__would__like__that__at__all__when__I__grow__up._

"Good morning, father." Yoshiaki bowed and greeted respectfully. He was taught well.

The western lord did not look up but continued his work, totally ignoring his son's greeting. Bur Yoshiaki saw his father ears twitched slightly.

Yoshiaki hesitated for a while and continued timidly, "Father, can you tell me about mother?"

Again, the western lord did not lift up his head but continued his paperwork. However, Yoshiaki noticed his father slight jerk at the question. He waited quietly for a while, hoping his father would answer him. Still, his father continued to give him the cold shoulder.

_Perhaps,__father__did__not__hear__me?_Yoshiaki thought and he bit his lips as he tried again to gain his father's attention. "Father, this Yoshiaki would like to know about his mother." Yoshiaki said with a louder voice.

This time, his father looked up from his paperwork and stared at him coldly and said, "Leave now, there is no need for you to know her."

"But father, she is my mother. At least tell me something about her, anything. You know so much about grandmother. So why can't I? " Yoshiaki requested quickly, felling slightly angered by his father's respond.

His father looked at him, no at his face, straight in the eyes. He seemed to be in deep thoughts. _Maybe__my__eyes__made__father__think__of__mother__._The colour of his mother's eyes was all what Yoshiaki knew about her.

"Please…." Yoshiaki pleaded.

The Western Lord looked at his son, his only heir. The boy had never talked about this matter to him before. _Why__now?__Her__eyes._ He had decided not to say anything about her to anyone and the boy was no exception.

"You inherited her sapphire eyes." The lord said, in a tone as if he was talking about the weather.

"I know that father. I want to know something else. Like is mother still alive? Is mother safe? What is she like? Where is mother?" Yoshiaki was annoyed by his father's respond, stating the obvious to him.

"She still breathes and is well protected, Yoshiaki. However, this is all you can know. Now leave the room."

"But father…." He wanted to know more.

"LEAVE!"

"Ye..s, father." He said reluctantly, half frightened and half shocked by his father's tone. Hurriedly, he left the room and began to head for his own building. His heart was still beating furiously by his father's command but he was overjoyed. He knew something that no one in the castle knew.

_His mother is alive._


	2. Birthday

**Birthday**

After that day, the young prince became hopeful. He knew his mother was alive, which meant he could meet her. But he did not know where his mother was. Not only that, he did not even know her name. _How__could__I__forget__to__ask__father__about__that._Well, he doubted his father would tell him anything more. He did try to ask his father more about his mother the later day but his father just ignored him and said he knew too much.

_This is so unfair. Father got to grow up and be taken care of by grandmother. He knows so much about grandmother and mother. Yet, I do not have a single idea who my mother is. This is so so so unfair._

For the week, the youkais in the Western Castle were rather busy. Some were busy decorating the castle, placing flowers along the corridors while others hung decorations round the castle. It was to celebrate the prince's ten years old birthday, which marked the end of the first stage of growing period for Inuyoukai. The prince would stopped growing and stay in his ten years old body until he turned a hundred or so, then it would be his second growth spurt.

"I don't want to stay like this, I want to grow up faster," grumbled Yoshiaki as he sat in his room with his new kimono, specially made for his birthday. It was somewhat the same as his father's, white in colour with their family crest beautifully sown on it.

"Don't worry. You would grow again when you reach a hundred or so," Ejishima said. Ejishima was one of Yoshiaki's foster mothers, who spent the most time taking care of the prince. Yoshiaki was closer to her than the other foster mothers.

"Hundred! That would be another ninety years in this body…." groaned Yoshiaki as he realized his miserable destiny. He stretched out his arms to emphasis his frustrations.

"Cheer up, Yoshiaki sama. I was short when I was your age. You are considered tall," said an older playmate, Inuichi, who was already a hundred and forty years old. He spent most of his time training on martial arts and swordsmanship with the prince.

"Really?" said Yoshiaki with glee.

"Believe me. Look at Katsuichi, who is still so short and looks like a five years old kid but in fact he is already fifty."

"Hey!" Katsuichi exclaimed. He hated being insulted. "At least I fast, not like you, slow pig." He snapped back at the older demon.

"What did you say, you dwarf," spat back Inuichi.

"Snail." Katsuichi said, not backing down from the insults.

"Shorty," said Inuichi as he bent down lower to emphasis the shortness of Katsuichi. It was a comical.

"Cease your nonsense now, you both." Ejishima interrupted. "It's the prince's birthday. Behave yourselves." She warned the two young youkais.

"Yes, Ejishima sama. We are sorry." apologized the two playmates.

However Yoshiaki was not at all offended, he was having a great laugh. And some of the attendants and playmates in the room also joined in the laughter.

On his birthday eve, Yoshiaki would have to pay respect to the Elders as well as any other Lords or Ladies invited to the Western castle to celebrate this special event. Then presents would be presented to the Prince Yoshiaki according to rank. After the greetings and other formalities, there would be concert where the younger demons would do martial arts as well as dancing and poem recitals.

"Good morning, grandmother," Yoshiaki greeted as he bowed down to pay respect to his grandmother.

"My, my. You have grown so much. Oh~ let me see, you are taller than your father when he was your age." His grandmother commented as she patted his head lovingly.

"Really?" asked Yoshiaki grinning.

"Yes and so much more adorable than your father was," added his grandmother.

"Mother…" said his father with a frown.

"Oh can't you let your mother praise her grandson?" said the Lady and she took out a beautifully wrapped box. "Come Yoshiaki, grandmother have specially prepared this for you. Happy birthday."

"Thank you, grandmother," said Yoshiaki as he accepted the gift and passed it to his attendants who will later put all his gifts in his room. It was only proper for him to open his present after the whole event.

"Ho-ho-ho! You have such good manners. You are so different from your father," praised his grandmother, extremely pleased with her grandson.

On the other hand, the Western Lord remained impassive and refused to converse with the older demon. Sesshoumaru had also presented his gift to his son, a small katana, suitable for his age and height.

Then, he also met the Lords and Ladies from the other provinces, as well as, high-ranking generals and officials of the area. Yoshiaki had maintained good posture and spoke intelligently throughout the whole ceremony. This won him much praises from the guests and the Elders were very pleased.

Finally, it was nighttime and all the demons retired to their quarters. Yoshiaki was so tired and exhausted. This year's birthday was much more tiring than the previous year where only a few Lord and Ladies were invited with less decorations here and there. He was glad and thankful it was over. As he went to his room, he saw presents neatly arranged on one corner. Though he was tired, he was too excited and eager to know what was inside all those nicely wrapped boxes and chests. Hence, he decided to unwrap all his presents first before he went to bed.

He recognized the silver wrapped box that his grandmother had given him. He carefully removed the wrapping paper and opened the box. It contained many delicious looking rice cakes and sugar cakes. It contained his entire favourite snacks. _Grandmother__is__so__nice__to__me._Yoshiaki thought as he chose one piece with the cheery blossom flavour and put it inside his mouth. _Yummy._

Then, he closed the box to safe the rest of the snacks for the next few days and proceeded to unwrap the other presents. There were silk kimonos, beddings, more snacks and even wooden craving prints. Just then, he spotted a small box without any beautiful cravings or wrappers, just plain. He had not seen anyone presented it to him during the whole ceremony. Curiously, he placed the box in front of him and opened it with anticipation. There lies a nicely knitted long woolen cloth. Yoshiaki had never seen this type of cloth before. It was long, at least a metre long, light blue in colour with wave patterns knitted on it. Yoshiaki was sure it was not from this region, though the design is in the style of Japanese, the whole thing seemed foreign. He took it out and touched it softly, it was soft and his hand felt warm as he tried wrapping it around his shoulder.

Too tired to explore the rest of his presents, Yoshiaki neatly put back the cloth inside the box and lied on his futon. However, the question kept him awake for a little while more.

_Who could have given that to him?_

…

It was past midnight and the girl had not retired to her bed. She was sitting at balcony, looking out of the window in her room. The moonlight shone through her window while the wind gushes through the balcony from time to time, and the candle flickered in the wind.

There was a small knock on the door, and the girl murmured, "Come in."

One of the female servants, slid opened the door and greeted the girl with a bow. The girl merely nodded and the servant slid the door gently back after she entered the room. The girl knew why the female servant, Natsu was here. Natsu was under the order of the lord to take care of her daily routines, and that included her sleeping time.

Natsu looked at the girl before pointing to the bed and did a hand sign to tell her she was supposed to be sleeping.

The girl signed and said, "I am not tired, Natsu. Let me have some time alone."

Natsu only emphasized her point by repeating the same hand sign and her eyes almost pleadingly.

When the girl still refused to move to the bed, Natsu bowed down this time, almost begging. She knew she would be punished if she did not take good care of the girl's well being. She trembled slightly as she was afraid to think of what her punishment would be.

Upon seeing this, the girl gritted her teeth and scolded gently, "Get up, Natsu. I _will_sleep now." The girl stood up and walked to her bed. She slid into the futon and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

When Natsu moved to blow the candle, the girl murmured, "I miss him, Natsu."

Natsu turned to look at the girl but she was looking up at the ceiling, so Natsu just nodded in understanding.

"It is his birthday today, He's ten," the girl continued as she held out her hands in front of her, counting the number of years she had not seen him, her son. She placed her hands down after that and whispered in a poignant tone, "It hurts knowing that he was just there." The girl did not cry. Her tears had dried many years ago. She knew crying was useless; it was merely a sign of weakness. And she would not, could not afford to be weak.

Natsu could only just nod again in understanding. She has witnessed many things that happened to the girl since she was in charged of her.

It was not long before Natsu blew the candle and went out of the room.

Yet the girl remained awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking about her child.


	3. Curiousity

**Curiousity**

"That insolent boy," Jaken grumbled as he ran around the castle to look for the prince. Once again he was reduced to a babysitter. He thought that he would not have minded so much since Yoshiaki was his Lord's heir. It was an honorable duty for him to care and protect the prince but no, the prince turned out to be much more troublesome than Rin! Yoshiaki ran around like Rin, wandering around the castle without permissions, skipping lessons, doing all sorts of nonsense. He was such a naughty child that landed him with much trouble. At least the little girl, Rin would behave herself in the castle and listen to the Lord's instructions. The prince on the other hand, even played tricks on the faithful vassal.

"_Oh,__how __long __more __must __this __Jaken __suffer.__" _The little toad mumbled as he quickened his pace to look for the young prince.

Meanwhile, Yoshiaki was playing with his small globe that his geography teacher had given him, throwing it up and down along the corridor and then catching it as it landed on his hand and tried to guess the country that was shown on the globe.

"Egypt," he said happily as he threw the globe up once more and caught it with his small hands. "Ha, I know that is China," he said again, recognizing the big piece of land located beside his homeland. Just as the he was about to throw the globe up again, he lost his footing and slipped, the globe flew off his hand and landed on the floor with a thud before it rolled down towards the end of the corridor.

"Hey!" Yoshiaki cried as he stood up immediately to chase after the globe. Fortunately, there was a wall at the end of the passage and the globe stopped rolling as it hit the wall. It took only a short while before he caught up with the globe and picked it up. Then he wiped the globe clean with his sleeves.

Yoshiaki was just about to walk back when he realized his surroundings. There was no one on the corridor, not even a servant, nor any rooms situated around this area. There were just high walls. The hall was exceptionally clean and the place seemed isolated and deserted. It was so quite that it felt creepy. Yoshiaki had never been to this place; he was busy throwing the globe and unaware of where he was going.

He took another look around him, this time more wary and thorough. There was nothing special about this place, yet this mysterious place existed in the castle and no one actually talked about it. Cautiously, he touched the wall in front of him where the globe had landed. Nothing. The wall led to another passage round the corner. Yoshiaki walked along the other passage slowly while his left hand still gently touching the wall at his side. Just then, he felt repulsion and pulled his left hand off the wall. It felt as if something was stinging him and he touched the wall lightly again only to felt a shock, more intense than the previous one.

"There is a barrier_."_Yoshiaki thought. This was getting more interesting and Yoshiaki wanted to know what was behind the barrier. He drew his new sword that his father gave him and tried to cut through barrier.

Jaken had searched almost every corner of the castle but the prince was nowhere to be seen. He tried to think of where the young prince might have gone.

_The __garden,__no.__The __library,__no.__The k__itchen,__no. __The-_He came near to the inner area of the castle when he felt the presence of the prince's youki. "It can't be…" Jaken exclaimed as he ran hurriedly to find the prince.

"Ay! What are you doing Yoshiaki sama!" shrieked the toad as he saw the prince trying to break the barrier. _No, __he __mustn't __go __near __there. __Lord __Sesshoumaru __had __so __carefully __secured __and __prohibited the place. __He __must __not __know __what __was __behind __the __wall. __How __did __he __come __here __in __the __first __place?_

"Breaking the barrier, Master Jaken," the young prince replied innocently, holding up his sword again to cut open the barrier. The katana was slightly more than half a meter long, the blade was sharp but Yoshiaki's youki was not strong enough to break through the barrier.

"No, no, no it is no good. Stop now!" Jaken croaked. _Lord __Sesshoumaru __would __surely __kill __me __now. __What __if __he __really __breaks __through __it? __What __if?_

"Wait Master Jaken_._Let me try one more time. Haiii~!" said Yoshiaki as he raised the sword and tried to slice it through the barrier but to no avail.

"Stop! Stop! I command you to stop now!" Jaken yelled, jumping up and down in fury. The prince was too insolent, too playful, and too stubborn. Yoshiaki could not, should not and must not come near to this area. He needed to take twice the amount of time to get Yoshiaki to listen than Rin. Oh how he longed for the older days, traveling around Japan with Lord Sesshoumaru, Rin and Ah Un. Now, he was "caged" in the castle, taking care of this mischievous prince.

"All right." Yoshiaki said dejectedly as he gave up. There was no way he could break through the barrier, not with his size and youki.

"What do you think you are doing?" Jaken huffed as he scolded Yoshiaki, threatening to hit him with his two head staff.

"Master Jaken, do you know what is behind the barrier?" Yoshiaki asked, totally ignoring the toad's anger.

"It is the forbidden garden!" cried Jaken, stressing the word 'forbidden'. "You are not supposed to go near or in there, understand!" He was so frightened that the boy would try to break the barrier again. "Now! Go back to the study room!" the little toad ordered as he used his staff to usher the prince to move.

"Can you tell me what is inside?" Yoshiaki asked, looking back at the high walls.

"I do not know, Lord Sesshoumaru never mention anything about it," replied Jaken irritated.

"Master Jaken, you do know something, just tell me, I swear I will not say a word to father," Yoshiaki said, trying to get something out of the toad's mouth.

"No! Now, go back to your study room before Lord Sesshoumaru come to check on you."

"Please…" Yoshiaki pleaded. He wanted to know what the forbidden garden was. Does anyone live there? Are there any trees, flowers there? Why does not anyone talk about the place? Many questions popped out of the young prince's mind. The forbidden garden was yet another mystery to him.

"No, no, no!" the little demon chanted as he continued walking down the passage.

"I guess I got to find out the truth myself." Yoshiaki thought, determination flashing across his features as he followed behind Jaken, glancing at the area for the last time.

It was nighttime and the moon was shining brightly from the window of the prince's room. Yoshiaki was retiring for bed while Ejishima was clearing up the room for her foster son.

Ejishima was the wife of a general of the Western lands and she was a distant relative of the Western lord; a descendant of the house of moon. Her eyes were golden and she two stripes on each side of her face. Her silver hair was usually tied up neatly in a ponytail and she wore white kimono with the Western lands family crest.

"Ejishima," the prince called as he lied down on the bed after changing into his nightwear..

"Yes?" replied Ejishima as she pulled the blanket over the prince gently.

"Do you know about the forbidden garden?" asked Yoshiaki.

"Ah, of course, Yoshiaki sama. Why do you ask?" replied Ejishima as she looked at the prince curiously.

"Can you tell me more about it?" Yoshiaki asked as he turned his face to look directly at Ejishima.

"Alright, I know of a story about the forbidden garden. A myth."

"Do tell me quickly. You know I love stories," said Yoshiaki with glee.

"Okay," Ejishima smiled back as she kneeled down beside the bed in a more comfortable position before she continued. "Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a young lord in his castle up on the hill. At the foot of the hill, there is a village where many human beings lived. The lord with his man and villagers lived in harmony. However, one day, the lord's trusted kinsman was killed by some of the villagers. In anger, the lord burnt down the village and captured the villagers, all related to the death of his kinsman and their tongue had been cut off as a punishment before they were imprisoned in the forbidden garden. "

"Eww…so that is the end of the story," said Yoshiaki slightly disgusted.

"Yes, Yoshiaki sama, I have learnt the story from the elders."

"Has anyone gone inside the forbidden garden?"

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru. Besides that, no one was to step foot in the place. Once a tori demon disobeyed the order but you never want to know what happened to him."

"Do tell me, please," urged Yoshiaki, curious to know more about the forbidden garden.

"You see, it was forbidden so he got punished and sentenced to death. Since then, nobody dared to go near the place."

"Gawk," swallowed Yoshiaki, knowing how harsh his father's punishment could be. "But how did the bird demon went in? There is a barrier."

"Oh, the barrier would be lifted whenever the Lord visit the place. But it was not a wise choice to sneak in as Lord Sesshoumaru would always catch you before anything."

"I see." Yoshiaki said sleepily as he yawned.

"It is getting late, you should rest now," said Ejishima as she got ready to stand up.

"Good night, Ejishima."

"Good night, Yoshiaki sama." With that, Ejishima opened the shoji door and went out of the room quietly. Closing the door softly, she looked to the direction of the forbidden garden and stare at it for a little while before retiring to her room.

_The forbidden garden. It had been quite a while since she thought about that place. _

…...

It was early in the morning; the Western lord was in his study room alone. There were piles of papers, submitted by his subordinates, which he had read. He looked at the painting he was holding in his hands now. He traced the outline of the figure. He painted a picture of Yoshikai in his birthday ceremony. Yoshiaki grew up to be a fine boy; he was a quick learner both in swordsmanship and studies.

The boy has a Prussian blue crescent on his forehead, but no magenta stripes on his body yet. Yoshiaki's silver hair touched his back and he wore a white kimono with the red chrysanthenmum flower crest at the collar and sleeves. The hardest part was to paint the eyes of Yoshiaki which was sapphire not golden amber. It made Sesshoumaru think of his son's weakness, that Yoshiaki's veins flowed a mixture of demon and human blood.

Sesshoumaru chose to give his son a katana, which was to be made from a fang of his to conceal Yoshiaki's weakness. Totosai as usual ran away when he came to him but when the old blacksmith learnt that the young lord had came to request him to forge a sword for the young prince, he agreed almost instantly on the condition that he met the prince in person. Sesshoumaru agreed and the meeting was arranged a month ago.

Sesshoumaru rolled the painting gently and tied it up neatly with a string. He placed it on his table and stood up to leave for the main hall. It was time for him for his meeting with the subordinates and scholars.

"Good morning, Lord Sesshoumaru." Jaken bowed when he saw his Lord at the corridor.

Sesshoumaru merely gave him a nod and continued on walking towards the main hall. Jaken followed him behind in a rush.

"How is Yoshiaki?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Yoshiaki sama is well. However, forgive this lowly one, I do not know if I should speak of the matter."

"Then you shall speak."

"This little one found Yoshiaki sama outside the walls of the forbidden garden and he tried to break the barrier."

Lord Sesshoumaru stopped his tracks and his shoulder tensed. "Did you speak of anything regarding that place," he asked in a calm mood as he looked down at the toad.

"Of course not, Lord Sesshoumaru. I will never utter anything about the place. Never."

"Good," Lord Sesshoumaru replied before squashing the toad with his boot. "Do not allow the boy to wander around again, do you understand?" he warned.

"Yes, my lord." Jaken managed to choked out.

…...

Natsu was going to the kitchen to bring breakfast for the lady. She was slightly late than usual, as she wanted to give the lady more time to rest. However, Natsu was surprised to see the lady preparing breakfast with Hiroko and Reiko, who were assigned to be kitchen staff.

"Good morning, Natsu," the lady greeted. The other two girls bowed politely at her and Natsu bowed back. Without waiting for Natsu to ask, she continued, "I woke up early. So there was time for me to make breakfast for everyone."

Natsu smiled brightly back. They loved the lady's cooking, which was simple and delicious. Natsu only came to serve the lady three years ago and she was surprised that the lady knew how to do so many mundane chores. She thought the lady would be proud and clumsy with housework chores like many other ladies of the samurai class she once knew but this lady was so different. She showed compassion, kindness and even risked herself to save them. Natsu guessed the reason why the lady act so differently was that the lady was from a foreign land. After all, the lady's first name was not a traditional Japanese name.

The lady's name was Kagome.


	4. Paintings

Paintings

Yoshiaki decided to look for his father once again to ask him about his mother. He knew his father would be annoyed but he needed to try. After all, his father was the only one who knew everything about his mother in the castle.

He was walking towards the Lord's study room when he realized that there was no sign of his father's youki. Yoshiaki knocked on the door to make sure his father was absent. There were no guards around as Sesshoumaru preferred to work alone in an isolated island, literally. He thought his father would be returning soon from the meetings in the morning and so he decided to wait for his father in the study room. Yoshiaki slid open the shoji and went into the ten tatami mats study room. In the middle of the room, there were scrolls of papers neatly placed on a low wooden table. There were bookshelves at the each side of the room and a tea set. Being curious by nature, Yoshiaki went over to take a glimpse at the subjects written by the subordinates of the Western lord. The subject matters were labeled on the side of each scroll. Carefully, Yoshiaki picked up one scroll and scanned the title of one scroll and found it was about politics; he put down the one and picked up another about defense, and then another one. After finished scanning through the titles of the scrolls, the lord had not returned and Yoshiaki was bored.

His eyes wandered around the room. He rarely noticed things in his father's study room since the lord always dismissed anyone as soon as they have arrived. By chance, Yoshiaki noticed there was yet another scroll neatly placed beside the cushion which Sesshoumaru seats.

He picked it up and looked around the scroll for its title, yet nothing was written. He found it strange and gently unrolled the scroll to see what was written in it. Beautiful background of the Japanese Western landscape spread out on the scroll. Yoshiaki instantly recognized the distinguished strokes of his father's painting techniques. As he further unrolled the painting scroll, a figure was revealed. The painting depicted a young girl, who was wearing a plain green kimono, picking up flowers. Yoshiaki had no idea who the young girl was. When he reached the other end of the scroll, he found that there was no one else beside the young girl. The young girl looked happy and at the bottom right hand corner was a single kanji word that his father had beautifully written - _Rin._

_Snap!_

The string on the koto snapped and the Kazuo immediately stopped plucking the strings. At the same time, Kagome too stopped her playing on the flute. They were playing the duet of the classical musical piece- Sakura, which was to be played later to the Western Lord. Sesshoumaru had developed a taste for music and instructed Kazuo to play the koto and teach Kagome Japanese ancient music. Over the years, Kagome's musical skills had improved tremendously and Sesshoumaru was more than pleased to listen to her play the music from the musical scores he brought for her.

Kagome placed the flute gently on a cloth on the tatami mat before examining the koto. She noticed the koto was old and there were some strings threatening to snap sooner or later. There was no way they could continue with their practice nor could they play a duet later.

Kagome signed and said softly, "Do not worry, Lady Kazuo. I will request for new strings to replace the old ones."

Kazuo nodded and proceed to keep the koto while Kagome wipe her flute before placing it in a long wooden box.

Kazuo was once a daimyo's wife. She was much older than Kagome, reaching her early fifties. When Kagome learnt about Kazuo's past, she insisted on calling the latter Lady Kazuo to be polite and to show her respect. Lady Kazuo was a petite old lady, like most ladies from the samurai family, she was educated and also learnt to tackle philosophical and literary classics. Sesshoumaru trusted Kazuo to manage the household and was pleased the old lady knew her place and the code of ethics of a warrior class. Her husband died during a war against the Western Lord more than a decade ago and she swore her life to the Western Lord, alongside with her two daughters in law. Since then, she was the head in managing all household affairs in the pavilion they lived. Lady Kazuo tried to teach Kagome the ways and value of being a proper aristocratic wife or rather mistress, which is to show subservience to her lord. Yet Kagome always argued that the teachings were wrong and would often make grave mistakes.

"I will think of something to entertain him later," Kagome said and stood up to walk to one side of the music room to look out from the tall windows. The songs of the cicada could now be heard.

"I used to collect cicadas and the shells during this time with Souta." Kagome spoke after a while, remembering her past time with her brother.

Kazuo stood beside her and listened quietly to the songs of cicada. A moment later, she took a notebook from the low wooden table and wrote a haiku with a brush.

"_Lonely silence,  
a single cicada's cry  
sinking into stone "_

Kagome read it out. "Well written, Lady Kazuo." Kagome praised the older lady for her beautiful calligraphy and work piece. "You know it is a coincidence, cicada (higurashi in japanese) is my surname, Kagome smiled sadly at Kazuo, noting the pun.

Kagome was pleased to learn that Kazuo knew how to read and most importantly write. She feared she would lose her mind without the ability to communicate with any of the people in this place. During their free time, Kagome would sit down with Kazuo and the others to read literature classics and write haikus. She was thrilled to learn that every single woman brought were educated as they were from the samurai class. She never thought Sesshoumaru had an exclusive taste for servants, maybe he deemed the upper class human beings as something above worms.

There were peregrine falcons and sparrows flying around the garden, the barrier trapped them from flying out. Kagome knew they would fly away once the barrier was lifted, then they would see the world outside this place again. However, unlike the birds, the people and her had no wings. They would be caged in this garden forever.

"We will escape one day, Lady Kazuo. I promise." Kagome said with conviction as she looked back at the older lady.

Kazuo just gave her a melancholy smile. She remembered vividly the day when her fate was sealed to serve the Western lord. She was the daimyo's wife then.

Kazuo had received the news that her husband and two sons were killed in the battlefield. The castle she guarded and took refuge in was taken over by the Western Lands army. The remaining household members and her were led to the back garden, hands bounded with a rough rope, by some youkai soldiers. Kazuo knew this day would come. She tried to persuade her husband not to rebel against the Western Lord, yet the daimyo insisted with sheer determination that if he did not fight alongside with the neighbouring daimyo, the youkais from the Western lands would only be demanding more and more from the human population. They ought to revolt.

The back garden came into view and they were pushed forcibly to kneel down on the ground.

"My lord, I have brought the prisoners," one of the youkai guards spoke and Kazuo guessed this one must be a general.

There was no reply from the lord, and the captives had their head bowed and dared not look up. There were Kazuo, her two daughters in law, younger brother in law, ladies in waiting and a housekeeper.

"You must be the wife of the deceased daimyo," a baritone voice spoke in front of Kazuo.

"Yes, I am. Lord Sesshoumaru." Kazuo replied. Her voice was calm and steady and she remembered to greet the Western Lord with respect.

"Hn," said Sesshoumaru and continued with a pause. "Untie them."

Kazuo and the rest were unbound in an instant. They rubbed their sore wrists under their sleeves, at the same time, they found that the soldiers had placed a tanto and a wine cup filled with liquid in front each of them. A chill went down Kazuo's back, she knew the rules. As the lady of the house, she was to perform jigai to preserve her family's honor. So were the rest of the household members.

"I usually do not do this but I give you two choice," Sesshoumaru said and he lifted wine cup before he continued, "to death or to serve me."

There was a long dead silence.

"I would never serve you, youkai!" shouted Jiro, Kazuo's brother-in-law, who broke the stillness of the air. Jiro looked up straight into the lord's eye with hatred, his blood boiled with rage.

"If that is your choice. I would not stop you." Sesshoumaru said coldly as he narrowed his eyes.

Without a hesitation, Jiro grabbed hold of the tanto and raised it to his neck.

"Jiro, STOP!" Kazuo cried. Jiro was merely a twelve years old child.

"I will preserve my honor," Jiro said with a conviction as he looked back at Kazuo before cutting his jugular vein with the tanto.

Kazuo was dumbstruck and some of the household member screamed. Jiro was the last bloodline in her husband's clan.

"Such a pity. The boy was brave." Sesshoumaru spoke unsympathetically and looked down at the remaining human. "So the sword or the knife?"

Kazuo looked at the lord and took in his features for the first time. Sesshoumaru face showed no expression as he made eye contact with Kazuo. Kazuo clenched her fist involuntarily. She looked at the tanto, then at the wine. Finally she made her decision. "The wine, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"Mother!" cried Aoi and Chio together. They were her daughter-in-laws.

"Lady Kazuo do not believe whatever the demon says, the wine is poisoned" said the housekeeper hurriedly.

Kazuo pondered for a moment, and spoke "Pardon my rudeness, Lord Sesshoumaru. May I request some time to speak with my people."

"I grant you five minutes."

"Thank you very much," Kazuo bowed respectfully. She knew this would be the last time she would be speaking to them as the lady of the house but knew not that this would be the last time she could use her voice.

"This is an insult, mother. I would not work for a monster," said Aoi with anguish tears. The rest of the people nodded in agreement.

"Listen everyone. You swore loyalty to this household but now there is another option granted to us to deal with this matter. This is not the end. There is a chance for you, all of you to stay alive." Kazuo spoke in between pauses. Her voice was soft and pleading.

"But-" Aoi tried to dispute when Kazuo cut her off instantly. "This is not about pride anymore. This is about your life. Please, choose wisely."

The household spoke no more, everyone in their own thoughts.

"Alright. I will join mother," Chio signed and she bowed to Sesshoumaru before lifting up the wine cup.

Eventually, the other household members joined her and they all clasped the wine cup with both their sore hands.

"You have better judgment. With this drink, you pledge loyalty to me," Sesshoumaru spoke pleased with the outcome, as he lifted the wine cup and drank. "Welcome to the House of Moon."

"My pleasure, Lord Sesshoumaru," the daimyo's household spoke in union and drank the wine in one gulp. The taste was horrible and Kazuo could feel her throat burning. The pain was too much for her that she stumbled into darkness.

The nightmare had just begun.

….

Kagome's voice floated in the garden as she sang of deep forests, vast grassland and open seas.

As planned, Sesshoumaru visited her during the late afternoon. Kagome explained the situation to him and he merely nodded and ordered that she joined him for tea early. The girl shrugged her shoulder and got up from the cushion, which she kneeled on and followed him to the garden. The green tea was already brewed by one of the servants and Sesshoumaru sat down at his usual place, followed by the Kagome who sat in seiza beside him. Neither spoke as they viewed the scenery of the garden and enjoyed the sweet bitter taste of green tea.

There are maple trees, Japanese larch, ginkgo tree and many other trees and shrubs planted along the path that leads through the garden. These trees help to hide the pavilion in which Kagome and the other humans lived.

The pavilion acts as a villa for the lord. It is an impressive structure and extravagantly built for Sesshoumaru was a wealthy aristocratic. The first floor was built in the Shinden style used for palace buildings during the Heian Period with its natural wood pillars and white plaster walls contrasts yet complements the glided upper stories of the pavilion. On the first floor, there is a music room, the kitchen, a storeroom and the sleeping quarters of the servants. There is a room for study and painting room was on the second floor. And the third floor was reserved solely for Kagome, in which there were cupboards to store clothes for Kagome and a big futon was laid down every night.

"Allow me to sing for you," Kagome said, her voice broke the silent.

"Hn," Sesshoumaru nodded.

Kagome took a small breath before she opened her mouth. Her voice was soft but clear, she sang all so beautifully that Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and relaxed at the soft melody. Her songs were unique and sometimes she even sang in foreign language but he did not mind. Kagome's voice was good. He opened his eyes when her singing stopped and the last note lingered in the air.

"The Easternlings recently traded with strange beings arriving on a Chinese ship," Sesshoumaru said after a few minutes.

The Eastern lands and the Western lands were at war. Sesshoumaru had fought many consecutive battles with the Eastern lord, Takeo. Both daiyoukai were working out new ways to strengthen their armies to bring down the other one.

"Portuguese."

Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrow and Kagome continued.

"These foreigners come from Portugal, Europe. They were the first European to trade with looked different from us, they have whiter skin and are much taller than Japanese and the easterners."

"What do they trade?"

"Handicrafts and chinese goods, maybe even weapons,"Kagome said thoughtfully trying to remember what she learnt in her history lessons.

"What kind of weapons?" Sesshoumaru asked intrigued by the information.

"Probably guns, Portugese-made firearms were widely introduced in this period."

"What is the difference between Chinese guns and Portugues guns?" It was the first time Sesshoumaru heard of the country Portugal. The Western Lands mostly trade with the Chinese and were well quipped with gunpowder weaponary and Chiese guns and cannon tubes.

"I do not learn about those things," Kagome answered truthfully. She was not interested in reading about machineries during her past time.

"Hn," Sesshoumaru paused and absorbed this new piece of information. Kagome proved to be much more usesful person in providing information than his was one reason why he kept her to him.

"Here," he took out the scroll from his sleeve and gave it to her.

Kagome gave him a quizzy look as she took hold of the scroll. "May I?"

After receiving the cue to unroll the gift, Kagome carefully untied the string. Her eyes widen when she saw the painting of a young boy weilding a sword. She recognized immediately the boy was Yoshiaki, her son. She traced the outline of the figure gently.

"The painting is for you to keep," Sesshoumaru said as he looked away at the trees and took a sip of tea.

Kagome did not say anything and she kept her attention on the painting. A small smile formed on her lips.

…..

They watched the sunset together on the tree canopy. His hands wrapped around her securely and he rested his chin on her head as they sat on a maple tree branch. Kagome could see the lands from a far and she longed to be there. She closed her eyes and imagined herself walking in the open fields, picking up herds with the villagers and feeling the gentle wind when she stood at the mountainside. It felt as if time had stopped but she was woken up by a familiar sensation.

"You need to get ready soon," he spoke in a husky voice as he kissed her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

Kagome shuddered and her heart clenched, as she understood what he meant.

His hand reached up to outline her body but Kagome stopped him before he reached her chest. She gasped sharply when he lifted her chin sharply to look at him. His eyes narrowed at her misconduct. "Fight me and you fall," he warned.

Kagome looked at him with wide opened eyes, she had forgotten she was up in the tree. She glimpsed sideway to look at the ground and shivered when she saw how far she was from the ground.

He smirked and crushed his lips on her. His kiss was forceful and she tried hard to restrain herself from pushing him away.

"I have already fallen," she glared at him defiantly when he broke the kiss. Her hands grabbed hold of his haori tightly though he already pressed his body tightly to hers.

"You never cease to entertain me," Sesshoumaru spoke in a low voice as he licked her ears. He could smell her fear of falling. Silly girl, he thought.

Kagome pressed her lips together and ignored the warmth going through her body. "I would when I get away from you."

"That would never happen, it is not possible to run away from this Sesshoumaru," he whispered. His fingers played with her ebony hair.

"Nothing is impossible," she said with a determined tone.

"Maybe," He laughed softly at her belief and carried her back to the pavilion.


	5. Wounds

**Wounds**

It was five in the morning; the sky was turning purplish and birds chirped loudly as they prepared to hunt for their first meal. Kagome was dressing Sesshoumaru for the upcoming battle. The first time she complied with this order, she was uneasy and dressed him with trembling arms. Now, she could skillfully dress him in his white kimono that had a red chrysanthemum flower crest at the collar and sleeves and both his armour and long flowing sash. Finally, she helped him into his flat pointed ankle high boots. Kagome was relieved that he always wore his sashinuki hakama before she dressed him.

Sesshoumaru gathered his Tenseiga andBakusaiga and slid them to to his sash. He looked at Kagome steadfastly and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I will return," said Sesshoumaru as he savour her taste and scent.

Kagome remained silent and stare at him till his back was hidden completely by the trees along the path of the garden.

A while later, there was a knock on the shoji door.

"Come in. he just left," said Kagome.

It was Natsu, who brought breakfast for her. She placed the tray gently on a low wooden table and moved on to open the windows in the room, letting in fresh morning breeze. After that, Kagome dismissed Natsu. She did not take the seat at the table instantly; instead she moved to pick up the painting scroll placed on the cupboard and studied the figure once more.

…...

In the morning, Yoshiaki was roused by sudden rolling of drums that echoed in the castle. Running to the hall, he saw in the vast field a great press of soldiers on foot and on horse, all fully armed as for war. There also stood his father, Sesshoumaru who spoke to the men and gave commands. Then Yoshiaki learnt that his father and the troops were setting out for yet another battle with the Eastern lands. The war was long lasting and Yoshiaki heard of the conflict since he had began to speak. The young prince was taught that the battle between the House of Moon and House of Sky originated thousands of years ago, during his great grandfather times.

Sesshoumaru bade farewell to his son when he spotted the latter in his sleeping gown. Yoshiaki watched them left the castle without tears. He knew they would come back. They always did.

Yoshiaki ran back to his room to change. After he was all dressed up and ready for lessons, his first tutor came. The hours were long and Yoshiaki could not wait for the lessons to end. Finally he was released from his study room and immediately ran to the back garden to relax. There he spotted Jaken who was mumbling to himself in words that the boy could not decipher.

Yoshiaki tiptoed towards the toad youkai before he exclaimed, "Boo!"

Jaken screamed in fright and scampered in circles. He stopped instantly when he realized it was only the prince. "Are you trying to kill this old servant? You ungrateful boy."

"Good afternoon, Jaken sama," greeted Yoshiaki gleefully.

"What are you doing here?" asked Jaken in a slight angry tone.

"My lessons have just ended," Yoshiaki answered. He wondered if his playmate, Inuichi and Katsuichi was dismissed from their lessons. Their lessons were longer for they were much older and the generals were no less strict with them compared to his father.

Jaken huffed and grumbled silently as he followed the prince who was running on the lush grass and chasing after butterflies. Before long, Yoshiaki thought of the scroll he saw on the previous day. He did not have the chance to meet his father in the study room and he wondered who the girl was. Could that person be related to his mother?

"Jaken sama, do you know someone by the name Rin?" asked Yoshiaki as he looked at the toad.

Jaken reaction was unexpected. He gasped, his eyes widened and he choked as if he was suffocating, "Where- where did you heard about that name?"

"It seems you know her, Jaken sama. Tell me about her." said Yoshiaki, ignoring Jaken's question.

"I was her guardian a long time ago, before you were born. We used to travel round the country with Lord Sesshoumaru," answered Jaken after a long pause, fidgeting.

"Really? Where is she now? What is she like? May I meet her?" inquired Yoshiaki. He was amazed by the fact that the girl in the painting once traveled with his father and his guardian.

Jaken was not at all overwhelmed by Yoshiaki's questions, instead he remained silent and his face turned a deeper shade.

"Jaken sama?" said Yoshiaki, concerned for the older youkai.

"Rin is dead," said Jaken solemnly.

Yoshiaki opened his mouth slightly and gaped at Jaken. He was very young and knew not much of life and death. He had not lost anyone dear to him but he knew it was hard to lose someone, as he had attended funerals and paid respect to the dead warriors who fought bravely in the long battle.

"What exactly killed Rin sama?" he asked innocently.

"Ask no more of Rin for it only brings bitter memories," said Jaken, his tone was cold and fuming.

"I do not understand," said Yoshiaki. Was it not happy memories for Jaken sama?

However Jaken did not give him any explanation for old youkai sealed his lips and refused to speak another word.

…...

He was dashing madly across the field. He could feel adrenaline rushed through his body, pushing him to move faster and faster. He was told earlier that he would live if he could outrun the bullet. He was running for his life.

Bang!

Unfortunately, he was not quick enough.

The sound of the ruthless gun echoed in the backyard of the Eastern castle, following it was a loud thud as another prisoner dropped dead from the gunshot. It was a clean shot, the bullet punctured straight through the prisoner's heart.

Takeo was already dressed in his armour and "practiced" with his new acquired toy- a Portuguese gun. Unlike those weapons traded from the Mainland China, these guns were lighter and easy to aim with, plus it had a matchlock firing mechanism. The humans from the foreign lands had indeed proved to advance much faster than their old traders. There were still much to learn from these pale skin and long nose beings, so Takeo kept them close to the borders of the Eastern lands and paid them generously with bags of gold and silvers.

Takeo smirked as he inspected his gun. There was no doubt he was very skilled in swordsmanship and powerful. However, Takeo was one who never hesitated to choose over the easier and more effective way to slaughter his enemy. He was confident he had an upper hand in this battle.

Takeo was the second son of the old Eastern Lord Ryuu. His older brother, Ryukotsusei was sealed away by the once great Western Lord and deceased. He took up the role of the new leader of the East two centuries ago for his father was very old and withering. He had light brown hair and wore a white kimono with black lilies crest at the collar and sleeve. The Easternlings were Ryuu-youkais, descendants of the House of Sky.

"My lord, it is time," said one of the guards of the Eastern lands.

He loaded his gun one last time and walked to the front of his troops. Unlike Sesshoumaru who prefer to travel on a cloud, Takeo had a beast that resembled a gigantic horse for traveling. He sat on the beast and commanded before the Easternlings set off to the battlefield.

The road to the battlefield was harsh and daunting. On their way, villagers greeted them and prayed for their return, mostly from their windows.

…...

Formal challenges to battle were long issued and the battlefield was filled with noise like a gale and tons of thunder. Both side fired gunpowders and there came rushes of acidic smoke that smothered some. And right in the midst of it, Sesshoumaru fought into the head of the line and saw straight in front of him his long-standing enemy, Takeo with a metal gadget in his hand.

Black eyes clashed that of gold as Takeo spoke, "My my, Sesshoumaru. I was looking for you. Let me give you an introduction of my new toy. I do advise you to have one."

Sesshoumaru scoffed, " I have no need to acquire such tool. Draw your sword."

"I assure you, you will regret it," Takeo sneered and replaced the gun for his sword._  
_

No more words were exchanged and down the inu-youkai came upon the other with a rush and a growl. Both were powerful, strong and bore noble lineage. They fought each other with lightning speed and gusting wind for a good long time.

Then Sesshoumaru jumped to make a strike; Takeo saw an opening and seized his chance and swooped his sword for the weapon under his sleeve. There was a resounding blast but few paid attention to the sound was soon forgotten in the midst of bombing.

All of a sudden, Sesshoumaru felt fire burning him, inside his body. He narrowed his eyes at Takeo who stood a good distance from him. Sesshoumaru saw the smoke on the mouth of the machinery that replaced the sword.

"You are a coward, Takeo. You failed to fight me outright with only your own power," Sesshoumaru scorned at his opponent, trying his best to keep himself up on his feet.

"Ay, but sometimes it was difficult not to borrow certain forces, especially if they are exceptionally useful," Takeo said with a smug look. He raised his arm and the Easternings behind him each carried a gun and took aim at their enemy.

Sesshoumaru wobbled and placed a hand over his wound when he felt another wave of intense pain inside his body. The bullet that stroked him was not an ordinary human made on, it was coated with poison and toxic substances. The Western Lord fully comprehended the situation and began to back away. All his fire was chilled. He was careless and underestimated the new gained power of the Easternlings, which was just enough to give Takeo a chance to land a fatal blow to him. And now Takeo planned to make further destruction.

"Retreat!" Sesshoumaru ordered, his voice roared in the midst of chaos.

The general, Katagiri slain his opponent and turned towards the direction of his lord disbelieved. This was the first time Sesshoumaru fell to the ground, it was the first time the lord commanded to retreat. Never had the Westernlings withdrew from a battle when the new young lord ruled.

"But Lord Sess-" said Katagiri, not understanding the situation.

"I said retreat!" Sesshoumaru ordered again, this time louder and his eyes turned red with fury.

"Yes, my lord." Katagiri obeyed.

It was not long for the Westernlings to turn round and fled from the battlefield while the Eastern lord and his men mocked at the scene and admired their new weapon.

…...

Kagome was sewing a butterfly on a handkerchief. She was alone and the some of the servants were tidying up the rooms while others had retired to their quarters. Without warning, the needle pricked her index finger. She let out a small cry and inspected her finger. Tiny drops of blood gathered at the tip of the index finger. She was about to place her mouth over the finger when she felt the familiar aura of Sesshoumaru. She noted that he returned rather early this time. It was barely a day since he left for the war.

No matter how hard she tried to deny it, deep down her heart worried for his well-being and safety. She hastily made her way to the balcony and in a short while she saw the white figure advancing towards her.

"Kagome," he spoke softly as he landed on the balcony and stumbled towards her, breathing heavily.

She was shocked at the new tone and his weary face_._She caught him straightforwardly as he kneeled down and leaned towards her. Her eyes widened as she felt her hands were instantly in contact with wet slimy liquid. She looked down at her palms to see red thick blood staining both his clothes and her hands.

Involuntarily, she let out a frightful scream. "What happened?" she asked and looked at him with concerned eyes.

He did not answer her and whimpered softly at his wounds. He did not place his arms around her for he had no such strength left.

There were footsteps heard along the corridor and some of the servants gathered at the door, which Kagome had left it open. They heard their lady's scream and came to find the source of her distress for they could not sense the return of their lord. At the sight of the blood, most covered their mouth with silent gasp while Natsu fainted at the doorway.

"Scarce! Everyone scarce! Wait, Lady Kazuo, I need bandages! Aoi help me carry him to the bed! And the rest do tend to Natsu!" Kagome commanded hurriedly.

Everyone moved into action as quickly as they could. Aoi came forward to hold one side of the lord when a clawed hand smacked off her hands mercilessly. The injured demon lord growled at her.

"Be still! Aoi is only helping!" Kagome scolded, she would have rolled her eyes in a different situation.

Sesshoumaru relented and was carried slowly and laid down on the futon bed.

"Thank you, Aoi." Kagome said and Aoi bowed quickly before leaving the room. She met her mother in law on the way down. Kazuo entered the room with a pail of clean water and clothes. The she went down to retrieve rolls of bandages and clothes as well as medications.

Kagome removed Sesshoumaru's armour and worked on his blood stained kimono before she was able to inspect the wounds carefully. She immediately recognised the most prominent one was a gun shot wound and saw a bullet stuck deep inside the left side of his chest. On a closer look, she realized poison had seeped through out his body and her purification power was calling out to her. Throughout this time, Sesshoumaru was bleeding profusely and breathing heavily. She reckoned any human or some youkais would not have survived this long. Yet he was no human, but a daiyoukai.

She was surprised that he did not seek a healer in the castle but instead came straight to her. She hesitated and looked nervously at the wound. She knew not how to deal with this. In fact, she was afraid. Never had she seen the proud Western lord lying down weakly. He was so vulnerable in the situation.

A treacherous idea struck her. This was the chance to dispose him, to seek vengeance for his evil deeds against her, against the people in the garden. She had waited for so long to escape from his hold.

"You are hurt," Sesshomaru murmured with closed eyes and Kagome was pulled back from her thought.

"Pardon?" she asked, her heart skipped a beat.

"This," Sesshoumaru murmured as he held lightly her pricked index finger in his hand.

"It is nothing," said Kagome. She forgot about her small injury and was astonished that he could still smell her blood for her hands were stained with his blood.

"Hn."

She stared at him and widened her eyes slightly when he brought the finger to his mouth and licked it, tasting the bittersweet mixture of their blood.

Her face turned pinkish red at his action and was glad when he released her then healed finger in a minute. She held back her previous thought for she was a healer and a warrior. No matter how much she despised him, she would never take advantage of an unarmed being. Her heart sighed and she proceeded to clean his wound.

Kazuo had gone downstairs once more to bring in a pail of clean water and was preparing the bandages. It took a long time before Kagome finally stopped the bleeding and purified all of the poisons and toxic in his body. The most difficult part was extracting the bullet. There was no scalpel available and she had to improvise with the use of chopsticks.

Kazuo stayed by her side throughout to assist her, and for some reasons Sesshoumaru did not mind the presence of the old lady.

"Are you not going to tell me what happened?" Kagome asked as she began to bandage his wounds.

Sesshoumaru had shifted to a sitting position. His breathing was more stable and he felt his strength returning to him slowly.

"The Easternlings acquired dozens of Portuguese guns which they modified to slay youkais," said Sesshoumaru.

"And you are one of the victim," Kagome said. Her hands moved in skilled fashion to cover the wounds.

"The first in battle," added Sesshoumaru.

"Why did you seek my assistance?" asked Kagome.

Sesshoumaru answered simply, "It is your duty as a mistress."

"Yes but I am sure there are many skilled physicians in the castle," retorted Kagome and frowned.

"In the times of war, many seek my downfall, even my own people. And this Sesshoumaru trust no one," answered Sesshoumaru coldly in a monotonous tone.

He did not trust his general, subordinates and anyone in the castle. Jaken was no exception but the toad was useful in certain ways and Sesshoumaru placed his heir in Jaken's care. As for the rest of the youkai that worked under him, he was wary of them. There were many failed attempts made to assassinate him and he was never going to let his guard down. Never.

And Kagome, he felt her hesitation but ignored it. She desired not of his power or position, but only of her freedom. For that he trusted that she would provide him with sufficient care since she depended on him. He did not deprive her spiritual powers because he was confident she was not strong enough to cause his death.

"It is done," Kagome said.

She helped him back into the sleeping position and began to tidy the room with Kazuo.

When she came back with a clean robe, she saw his eyes closed, motionless except for the rhythmic rise of his chest. She moved to arrange a small futon beside him.

The night was cold and she watched a moth flutter towards a lamp, unexpectedly its wings caught fire and struggled before it dropped dead. Kagome watched the scene unmoving. She had seen much death in her live, of close family and friend, strangers and enemies. She recalled clearly the bitter memories hidden in her soul.

_She held the little girl's lifeless body close to her._

_It was not supposed to be like that, she thought._

_..._

A/N Thank you for your reviews and support and I am delighted you like the story. Just to clarify one thing Kagome is a prisoner in the forbidden garden. I will explain it in the later chapters.


	6. Shattered dreams

**Shattered dreams**

_Approximately eleven years ago…_

Kagome was smiling widely. In exactly two months times, there would be another wedding in Kaede's village. Her wedding. She was going to marry her true love, Inuyasha. They had always been together since she returned from the future four years ago. And Inuyasha finally proposed to her a year earlier. Sango used to tease her on her intimacy "progress" with Inuyasha, the two of them are way too shy to express their feelings.

She had mastered archery and learnt swordmanship from Sango to protect herself and the villagers. She was determined to learn self denfense as she was tired of relying on others, especially Inuyasha. There were still demons lingering around the village and occasionally the village would be under the attack of demons.

It was midday and Shiro, her horse was grazing on the field. They were on their way to visit Shippo. Shippo had moved to stay in a village a few mountains away from Kaede's village. He was an apprentice there with an older kitsune demon.

"_Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you?" Inuyasha said, he was sitting beside her while she was picking up herbs for the villagers._

"_Hn, don't worry. Shiro will accompany me to meet Shippo. Besides I am not a child anymore." Kagome said._

_When she was setting off, Inuyasha helped her gather her belongings and said,"Promise you will be carefu. It is not safe to wander alone." _

"_I promise," she said with a smile, she was so happy that her finacee still treat her as a child. _

_Inuyasha gazed at her and lowered his head. She blushed as their lips met. The kiss they shared was innocent and gentle. _

"_Come back safely.," said Inuyahsa as he helped her up on the white horse. Kaede had took up the responsibility as a tutor to train Kagome as a full priestess and horse riding was part of the training.._

"_I will,"she said and set off on her short trip._

Kagome smiled at the memory. "Let's get going, Shiro," she said as she stood up and patted the horse.

…...

"There you are!" a rough voice spoke. It belonged to a man with solid built and his strong hands grasped the arms of the girl.

The girl yelped in pain as she cried, "Let me go!Help! Help! Master Jaken!"

"Help, Help? The toad will be dispose of, you wicked girl! There is no way you are escaping now." The man mocked as he held her arms more tightly and tied them up with a rope.

Two more men came as they helped to bound the struggling girl. She was resistant and put on a good fight as a girl, but there was no way she could outrun men stronger than her. Witch or keep her from screaming, they put a cloth in between her lips and led her back to the village to the prison cell.

"Brother, why are they locking up Rin sama?" the little girl asked her brother. She had witnessesd the villager guards came back to the village with Rin and they were heading to the secluded wooden hut, that served as a prison.

"Because she is a witch,"her brother answered. His brows were knitted together as he continued to dig out weeds on the farm. The soil was dry and hardened due to the drought.

"But Rin sama is kind and nice. She is a good person," the little girl argued.

"That is just a trick. She is possessed and mix with demons. Be aware of people like her," her brother said and continued plucking out weeds.

The little girl kept quiet and asked no more question.

…..

_"_My lord, the council believe it is time for you to produce an heir," said the Elder who was Head of the Ministry. "The previous lord was already a father when he was your age. In this time of uncertainty, it was best you produce an heir to secure the position of the successor. If anything unfortunate happen, there will be certainty that the Western lands would not be ruled by others."

"Are you suggesting this one would not survive the war?" Sesshoumaru said in an icily cold tone as he looked down at the bowed figure of the Elder.

"Pardon my words, Lord Sesshoumaru. I would not dare," said the Elder as he bowed his head even lower to express an apology.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, we agree this would be an assurance to the people of Western lands. The public are worried about the affairs of the throne," said another Elder. There were murmurs and all the council members presented agreed unanimously.

"Silence." Sesshoumaru ordered and the court immediately became quiet. "If there is nothing else important to raise, you are dismissed."

"Yes, my lord." The subordinates said solemnly. It was yet another fruitless attempt to persuade the young lord to take up a wife.

….

"Excuse me, is anyone at home?" Kagome asked as she knocked on the door of the nearest hut. The sky was blue black and she held a paper lamp on one hand while the other held on to the rope that tied on to Shiro. She had travelled a good distance from Kaede's village and decided to stop by a village for accommodation. She did not want to stay out in the forest and was relieved to find a village nearby.

The door creaked open and out came jumping a little girl of about eight years old.

"Papa! Oh? Good evening, who are you?" the little girl said as she looked up at the older girl with wary eyes.

"Good evening, I am Kagome. Are your parents at home?"

The little girl gazed up a Kagome and then the horse. She marked her brother words and was afraid to welcome the older girl, so she remanined at the inside of the door and did not come out as if guarding the house.

"Haruka, who is that outside?" said a boy's voice from inside.

"Brother, there is a weird girl outside the house. Do you think she is a witch?"

The brother came out of the house and inspected Kagome from head to toe. She was dressed in her priestess robe, her bow and arrows were hanged over her shoulder. The horse at her side was gazing nonchanlantly at nothing in particular.

"You are a priestess?" the boy asked.

"Indeed, I am." Kagome answered.

"Silly Haruka," the boy said as he turned to look at his little sister. "This big sister is a priestess. She works in a shinto temple just like other miko sama."

"Oh, I am sorry I did not realise it." Haruka said in embarrasment and continued in a carefree tone, "I am Haruka. This is my brother, Keichi."

"I am Kagome. Nice to meet you, Keichi kun and Haruka chan," said Kagome as she gave them a short bow and continued, "I am sorry to disturb you all at this time. I am passing by this village and would like to ask if I could stay here for a night."

"We would have to ask my parents. They will be back soon for dinner," said Keichi.

"Alright."

"Is that your horse?" Haruka asked as she looked up at the white animal.

"Yes. This is Shiro," said Kagome as she patted Shiro lightly.

"Wow, it is very big. Next time I want to have a horse of my own."

A while later, the children's parents returned. After a short introduction, they agreed to spare a mattress for the priestess to reside in. The horse however had to stay outdoor for they did not own a stable. The children's mother had prepared dinner and they shared it with the priestess.

"I am sorry we have nothing much to serve you. This is the best we can afford. You know, the drought was really long this year and the lake had dried up," said Keichi's father apologically. The dinner served consist of a small bowl of hard rice and a dish of pickled cucumbers. There was not even a whole fish on the table, only half dried salted fish.

"It is alright. I am really thankful to you to allow me to stay over," Kagome said.

Keichi's father gave a sheepish laugh and asked "Where do you come from, Kagome sama?"

He was a man in his early thirties, two years older than his wife. Although Kagome knew well that people in this era marry early, she still felt uneasy at the idea that Keichi was already fifteen. Come to think of it, Sango and Miroku's twins were turning seven years old.

"A village in Edo. I have been training under a priestess for four years," she answered.

"You have travelled a long way here." The mother noted.

"Tell me about Edo," Haruka asked eagerly.

"Haruka, you will tire the guest," the mother chided.

"It's alright," Kagome said as she looked at the little girl sitting beside her.

"I heard that there will be a trial on tomorrow," said Keichi. All of a sudden, the atmosphere turned gloomy,

"Yes. The village head is quite worried about the case," answered the father in a serious tone.

"I see. Still it was a surprise that the girl turned out to be bewitched. Don't you think so?" said the mother as she turned to Keichi.

"I don't know," answered Keichi as he shrugged his shoulder.

"Ne, brother, I don't believe Rin sama is a demon," said Haruka.

"Haruka, how many times must I tell you not to trust people like that," Keichi scolded.

"But Rin sama is a nice person. She gave me flowers," Haruka said.

"Maybe Haruka is right. We still need to wait for the verdict to see if it is true," said the father as if to comfort the innoccent child.

"Can I attend the trial?" asked Kagome. She was listening attentively to the family's conversaton and was stunned to hear the little girl mention the familiar name. Rin? She wondered if the Rin was the girl she had known. The girl moved back with the Western lord one year earlier. Surely, the lord would have protected her.

She was wary to ask questions regarding this girl on trial nor to speak of demons for she learnt that many villages did not welcome strangers and feared demons. On her journey, there were eve signboards with words such as "Be aware of demons and witches" alongside with those which warned about bandits and kidnappers.

"Oh, it is nothing really. You should not bother yourself with such matter. Moreover, it is unusual for people from other village to attend a trial," said the father.

"Aren't you leaving the next morning?" added the mother.

"I am not in a hurry, I can leave in midday. You see, I am really interested to learn about the trial. The village where I come from hardly enforce any rules," said Kagome.

"If you are really interested, I can bring you along," said the father after a few moments of thinking.

"Thank you very much. I am sorry to trouble you so much."

"I want to go too," said Haruka.

"Yes, of course I will bring you along too if you can wake up." said the father.

…...

The next morning, after a light breakfast, the children's father led the priestess and the two children to the assembly area of the village. Keichi had followed them out while the mother stayed at home to take care of the household chores. Kagome had changed into a simple yukata to avoid unwanted attention and to blend in easily in the crowd as instructed her host.

There were tables and chairs set up in the middle which sat a High Priest Commission in the middle and four officials, two at the each side. The onlookers stood in a circle behind a fence that surronded the centre area. Some onlookers even brought stools to sit. Her host greeted some of the villagers and they found a spot at the far end of the circle. Kagome was surprised to find the village rather populated, at least a hundred villagers were presented.

The High Priest Commission was dressed in a priest robe, with a long black hat on his head He had a stern look on his face and sat so upright that there was not even a crease on his gave a short nod to signal one of the guard. In a moment, two guards brought in the convict to the court.

Kagome breathed in sharply at the sight of the girl. It was the Rin she had known. Her hands were bonded by a rope and there were bruises on her ankles and arms. And though her face was dirty, she can still be recognised as the girl who travelled with the Western lord. _What on earth is she doing here? _Kagome wondered and her hands began to sweat and she felt her heart palpitating quickly. She glanced around and was glad that no one paid her any notice as they were looking eagerly at the trial.

"Bring in the witnesses," said the High Priest Commission.

Upon this statement, a handful of villagers came forward one after another and stood in a row beside Rin.

"What do you have to say about her?" asked the High Priest Commission as he pointed to a woman which looked in her mid twenties.

"Houshi sama, I once saw this girl, Rin talking to a two headed beast. She was friendly with the beast and the beast was friendly to her. And when my husband, who was so kind hearted and wanted to save her from the beast, the beast attacked him… and…and … he was killed. It was obvious she was a witch! She must have instructed the beast to attack my husband." The woman said and burst into tears.

"What do you have to say to defend yourself?"

"Ah Un is my bestfriend. He only attacks strangers when he felt threatened. He did not mean to kill anyone," said Rin.

"Nonsense! A human does not befriend demons, only witches. Houshi sama, you must do justice to my husband!" cried the woman pleadingly.

The priest moved on the next witness, a representative of the farmer.

"Houshi sama, I believe she was behind the bad weather. It is well known that witches have the power to control weather. Please help us by eliminating this threat," said the man as he pointed to Rin. "My crops are dying and my family are starving. Please help save the village."

Another witness testimony went on like this, "I believe she is a fox in disguise. It is well known that fox is a powerful triskster, imbued with the power to take in any form or shape. This one must have disugise herself as a young lady to allur men and then devour them. I do believe the many cases of missing people were her doings."

After two more witness gave a description on her sins. The High Priest Commision said, "Do you have anything to say, Rin?"

"Rin is neither a witch nor demon. This Rin is an ordinary human being," said Rin. Her hands was still bonded by a rope and blood oozed out staining the rope which made her hissed in pain.

""It is my duty to find the truth. Sadly, I am afraid the evidence is against you. Do you then confess your sins, Rin?" the High Priest Commision asked in a harsh tone as he fixed his eyes at the girl who was now kneeling down on the ground.

"This Rin committed no crime I know nothing of witchcraft! Nor am I bewtiched. Master Jaken and Ah Un are my very best friend. They protect me from danger! There is nothing wrong with making friends with demons. Master Jaken and Ah Un are nice to me."

"There is no use defending yourself. I repeat, do you confess your sins?"

"There is nothing for me to confess," said Rin.

"Show your true form, demon!" cried a voice in the midst of the crowd. The crowd jeered at her, cursing her.

"Houshi sama, I am afraid if we do not execute her quickly, she may cause greater damage to our village!" cried another voice."She may gathered other demons to attack us!"

The High Priest Commision stood up and said, "Quiet down. The verdict shall be read in the afternoon at two. Lock her away."

…...

"Jaken, wake up." Kagome whispered as she poked the toad to wake him up. The guards had made a small pit in the ground and buried the body of the toad in it such that only the head of Jaken was visible in the cell.

She had bidden her host farewell in the after the verdict was read and hid among the forest as she waited for the sun to set. The verdict was to persecute Rin upon the first light in the morning. Upon hearing this, Kagome knew she had to do something. She was aghast by the accusations of the villagers upon Rin and the way the priests and monks acted. She wondered how did Rin came upon this village and why the villagers treated Rin harshly. However she knew one thing for sure. She must rescue them, Rin and Jaken. She learnt that the toad was still alive but Ah Un was purified to death by the priests right after it was captured. There was no time to lose; she needed to act fast to save them.

The toad did not respond so she whispered his name again. This time the toad stirred and opened his eyes slowly. "Ka-."

She covered his mouth and placed a finger to her lips to signal him to keep quiet. She moved to dig up the sand and mud with the staff of one of the guards she had knocked off. The night security of the village was rather poor and she managed to eliminate the guards by putting them to sleep almost effortlessly, partly due to the fact that the guards let their guards down since she was wearing her priestess robe and assumed she was coming to cleanse and pray for the prisoners.

It took her a long while to dig sufficiently deep enough to lift the toad out of the pit. He was seriously dehydrated and too weak to move his legs. She put down the bundle she was carrying and took out a water bag. She gave Jaken the water to drink and then proceed to wrap the toad in the bundle. She was grateful that the plan work as she slung the cloth and tied it over her back as if she was carrying an infant child. Jaken was not heavy to carry and she hurried out of the cell to the next one where Rin was in.

Upon hearing the door of the cell creaked open gently, Rin turned her head to look at the intruder. Her eyes glistened when she saw the familiar face of the older girl. "Kagome sama?" Rin whispered as she looked up at the priestess surprised. Her voice was hoarse and her lips were dried.

"Yes. I come to get you out. Can you walk?" Kagome whispered back in a hurried tone.

"Yes, I can manage."

She gave Rin a few drops of water to drink and untied the ropes around before helping the girl up on her feet. They discreetly left the prison building with her holding on tightly to the hand of the younger girl as if to transmit her warmth through the cold palm of Rin, guiding her out as they walked around the body of the unconscious guards.

"Where is master Jaken?" asked Rin in a whisper as they turned around the corner and walked along the back of the building.

"I am here," the toad croaked weakly as he lifted his head from the bundle behind the priestess.

"Shss. Not so loud," said Kagome and she glanced around. They squatted down among the tall grass when they saw a shadow on the building wall. It was a man walking towards the public toilet. When the man was out of sight and making sure that there was no one nearby Kagome let out a sharp whistle. A moment later, Shiro came into view.

Kagome lifted Rin first onto the back of the house before mounting on it. Rin had grown to reach an inch taller than Kagome. Shiro, which was not used to the extra weight snorted and shifted uncomfortably, sending Kagome almost falling out. She immediately regained her balance and smoothed Shiro's neck as she whispered for it to quieten down. All the while making sure, Rin was holding on to her waist tightly and the bundle was still heavy behind her shoulder.

"Who's there?" a voice shouted. When she turned her head, all she could make out was a figure with a paper lamp in his hand.

She cursed silently that they had been seen and quickly smacked non-too gently on Shiro to urge it to move away quickly. With a sound of protest, Shiro galloped away into the deep forest, away from the village. Kagome vaguely heard the shouting of the villagers behind them, "The prisoners are gone! Track down them fast!" All she could hear was the pounding heart beat in her chest and Shiro's heavy breathing.

"It is cold, Kagome sama," said Rin.

"Just hang in there, we will find Sesshoumaru soon," said Kagome encouragingly. She did not know where they were heading nor did she know where the Western lord was. She was frantic. She wished Inuyasha was here. She ought to have agreed to let him come along to Shippo's village.

Idiot Kagome, there is no use regretting. You have to rely on yourself. Think of something. Think of how are we going to get out. But how?

The shouting and footsteps of the villagers were getting near. There were also the barking and growling of dogs. She could see the light among the forests emerging towards them faster than human speed. She knew at once, the villagers were no fools and had rode on horses. She made a mental note to find the fastest way out of the deep forest.

"I want to see Sesshoumaru sama," said Rin.

"We will see him soon. He should be nearby."

Where are you Sesshoumaru?

"Rin missed Sesshouomaru sama. Rin had not seen him for one month."

Kagome wanted to ask her the reason but decided not to, not for the time being. Rin was still weak and tired to handle talk too much. They came to junction, the path split to two. One was a clear path, which was evident that many travelled on it while the other was not so visible as grass patches covering some parts of it.

She stopped and lifted Rin down the horse. Then she gathered her arrows and bows and she sent Shiro galloping through the clear path with the candle lamp tied on carefully to Shiro's back, while they travelled in the greener path. Before that, she had taken off her sandals and threw them onto the clear path.

"They are after me, Kagome sama. You should leave me," said Rin as they trudged throw the forest floor. There were bruises around Rin's legs, which made her legs felt like stones and every step she took was more painful than the previous one.

"No, I would never leave you," said Kagome as she felt around the dark forest. She was thankful for the training Kaede had taught her and she could sense the path in front of them. Her feet were scratched by twigs and bushes but she continued on without bothering about them. She knew splitting paths was not going to work; it was only a way to buy time for them. She could feel the suffocating presence of their chasers approaching them.

Carelessly, Kagome tripped on a tree branch, sending both Rin behind her and herself stumbling onto the icy cold ground. Kagome tried to get up but she felt her a sharp pain in her left ankle. She twisted it and now there was no way they could outrun the villagers. She apologised and helped Rin into a more comfortable position.

She untied the bundle and spoke to the unguarded Jaken, "Jaken I want you to find Sesshoumaru."

"Ay, then what will you do? This Jaken cannot leave without Rin."

"There is no time to argue. You go find your lord and we will try to hide and fight the villagers if necessary. When you found Sesshoumaru, he will come and rescue Rin," said Kagome with a hurried tone as she handed a water bag to the toad.

"But this Jaken know not where Lord Sesshoumaru is."

"Then find him!" Kagome exclaimed, raising her voice just above a whisper. That made the toad running hurriedly away, taking the water bag with him.

Kagome listened to the surroundings, the sound of galloping was still faint but she notched an arrow in preparation. She did not intend to kill the villagers but she could stop them. All they need is time. Rin called her name and she shifted closer to her, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

"Kagome sama, you should run. If they found you, they will punish you."

"I can't run now, I twisted my leg. Even if that is not the case, I will not leave you alone in the hands of those villagers who do not have a sound mind. Their accusations were outrageous. They want to execute you."

"It is not their fault. A lot of things happened this year. They just do not know what they are doing."

"Rin, you do not have to defend them," said Kagome. She was surprised by how Rin had taken in the situation with a calm mood.

Rin just smiled and stayed silent.

"I think it is best you have this, just in case," said Kagome as she handed her the small sword to Rin. Rin hesitated but took it.

The growl of a dog made both of their heads turned and they could see a wild dog inching towards them. Kagome arrow was still notched on her bow and she aimed it on the dog. The dog made a jump towards her and she released her arrow just in time, before the animal could place its claws into her flesh. The dog whimpered on the forest floor before it laid still. The arrow went right through its chest. Kagome felt herself sweating; she had just killed a dog, a domestic hunting dog. Just as she was about to close her eyes to say a prayer, another two equally fierce and angry dogs emerged from the bamboo bush. There was no time to think, she needed to do what was required to protect herself, protect Rin. She fired her arrows in quick succession and sent the dogs on the ground.

An arrow swooshed towards her and she shouted, "Duck!" as she dodged it. It landed on the tree between Rin and her. It was a purification arrow, she noted.

"Who are you?" said a man voice in the midst of footsteps. Kagome looked up at the man on the horseback, she immediately recognised him as the High Priest Commisioner. There were several more men all armed behind the priest.

She took a step back and spoke, "I am a priestess, under the training of an elder priestess in a village in Edo."

"What are you doing here? You are the one who released the prisioner, aren't you?"

Kagome felt as a chill when down her spine and she felt she was in an interrogating room. She managed to keep her voice unwavered and said, "Rin is innocent. She has not committed any crime."

"Mingling with demons and killing our innocent villagers. You claim she is innocent?"

"Rin did not kill any person! There is nothing wrong with making friends with demons. There are good and bad demons in the world. Just like there are good and bad people."

"Do not try to lecture me, young priestess. From what you have said and done till now, it seems you are an accomplice to the girl, Rin." The High Priest Commission said in a stern tone, his bushy white eyebrows were knotted together, which reminded Kagome of a judge. However, she was not going to let the priest intimidate her.

"Accomplice? Rin and I have done nothing wrong."

"You helped a bewitched being escape and released a demon."

"Rin is very sound in her mind. I do believe the testimonies of the villagers are untrue."

"Nonsense, the verdict was decided and I hereby give you a chance to rectify your mistakes. You are a priestess and in the name of kamis, I instruct you to get rid of her."

"What?" This is insanity. She felt her heart boil with disdain for the village.

"I agree! A priestess should not be involved with an evil spirit! Get rid of her."

She was dumbfounded at what the priest instructed her to do. Suddenly, she felt a cold metal against her throat and the crowd stopped talking and came to an eerie silent.

"Back off or I will kill her," Rin said curtly. Her voice was sharp and it frightened Kagome to see Rin act coldly, not the usual sweet child she knew.

"Rin?" Kagome whispered, unsure what to do.

"What are you doing, wicked woman!" shouted someone from the crowd.

"I said back off and if anyone come any step closer I will kill her," continued Rin as she placed the sword barely an inch away from Kagome's throat.

What are you doing? Kagome eyed the young girl. Rin was taller than her and her hands held onto her shoulder to prevent her from moving. This is madness. What is going on?

The priest notched an arrow calmly and aimed it at them, it was unnerving and Kagome could not decide if it was aiming at her or Rin. He said, "It seems you decided to show your true self, demon. I would purify you before you take another life away."

"We will see," said Rin in a tone, which Kagome wished she would never hear again and instantly, she saw Rin raised the sword and pierced towards her whispering to her ears, "I am sorry, Kagome sama."

Kagome shrieked in horror and she felt hot blood splashed onto her face and her white miko robe, staining it red. She could no longer feel Rin's hands around her and felt a force push her forward, sending her kneeling on the ground. She felt her back was wet and released it must be the blood. Strange, she thought, she did not feel any pain. Maybe she was dead. She looked down at her chest, she was sure there was a sword in her. Yet, she found none. She opened her eyes widely, turned around, and stopped breathing. Rin had fell backward and sat on the floor. The sword had made a deep incision into Rin's not stomach, not hers. There was an arrow pierced through her left shoulder. The blood poured through Rin's yukata, down her bruised legs to the ground, staining it blood red.

"Rin! Oh Rin! Why did you do that?" Kagome cried out in shock.

"Don't fret, Kagome sama, I don't feel any pain," murmured Rin as she looked up weakly at the priestess.

"Rubbish! Stop talking. You are losing too much blood. Rin, Please please forgive me," said Kagome. Her vision was blurred and she felt her mind was swimming.

"You did nothing wrong."

"No, I am really sorry, Rin. I am sorry I cannot save you."

"You tried your best. This Rin had escaped death two times. I cannot always escape death, can I?"

"Rin…you sacrifice yourself to save me," Kagome said as she smoothed the girl's head.

"Promise me you will live," Rin whispered, spitting out the blood that was quickly filling her mouth.

"Hush, don't talk now. " How could one continue to live with a scarred heart?

"This Rin wished to see Sesshoumaru sama," said Rin as tears poured down her face, not because of the pain from her wounds but the pain of longing to see one so dear to her.

"Hush now, Rin, Sesshoumaru is rushing to see you. He will be here in a minute," said Kagome. She was shaking but not from the cold. It was from knowing that there was a life leaving her. Rin was still so young; her future was bright and full of adventures. Surely, the kamis would not take her away. Unable to do anything, Kagome just kept holding the girl's body close to her. Rin's breathing was shallow and all she could do was hum a small tune to sooth her pains. When she breathed in her last breath, Kagome felt her own body turned cold with that of Rin.

It was not suppose to be like that.

"It is a misfortune the holy power of the kamis cannot save her." The High priest said and together with the followers, he clasped his hands and chanted a prayer.

It was you who condemned Rin, bastards! Kagome wanted to scream at them but her voice caught her and she could only stare into nothing as the men carried the lifeless body back to the village for incineration.


	7. Shattered dreams 2

_Shattered dreams (two)_

Kagome vaguely remembered when she walked back to the village. There were abrasions and blisters on her soles as she had dragged her twisted leg all the way. Jaken and Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be found. They were way too late. The villagers were already stacking up firewoods and placed Rin's body on top of the piles of wood. She wondered if Jaken had found his lord.

The villages bowed at her when they see her and requested for her blessings. She kept a impassive look as she did not know what to feel about the villagers. Part of her wanted to scream at them, tell them that they were murdereres, another part of wanted to sympathize their superstitious minds and their fate. They knew not the situation. They knew of the who the guardian of their victim was. They knew not of the punishment they would face when the daiyoukai arrived. Jaken should have found the daiyoukai by then. She wondered how long more would the smiles of the villages turned to pain and guilt. Silently, the kamis on the sky whispered to them that it would be their last night alive.

"Kagome sama!" a childish voice called her. It was Haruka. Haruka rushed towards the priestess. "I'm glad you are alright. The priest told us how you have helped-"

"Run," Kagome whispered as cut off the child's rambling and kneeled down as her head leveled with that of Haruka. If she was going to save someone, she had to warn them now.

"Run? Why Kagome sama?" Haruka asked.

Kagome caressed the cheek of the little girl and said in a dejected voice, "Why? Because this place is going to be ruined."

…..

"Place it down," the daiyoukai commanded as he eyed at the man holding the fire torch, standing near the pile of wood.

"No," said the man stubbornly as he met the gaze of those eyes red with fury and in a flash, the man was sliced into half. The Western lord flew up and hugged the tiny cold body in his hands, her body was still warm but lifeless. He wondered how the cheerful and talkative child became so silent and cold. He looked at his ward with an aloof face but his eyes softened a fraction and immediately they turned cold again. An arrow flew towards him and he caught it easily in his hand and melted it. He growled at the attacker, who was the High Priest Commission.

"To what business do you have here, demon," the priest said.

"It is none of your concern," growled Sesshoumaru.

"I am afraid I have no choice but to exterminate you, demon," said the priest as he gathered his holy power and fixed the eyes solely at the daiyoukai.

Without saying a word, Sesshoumaru drew hisBakusaiga and slashed at the priest. The youki broke past through the spiritual barrier that the priest was building up and left a cut across the left shoulder to the right side of the priest. Not having any time to react, the priest felt a sharp piercing pain across his throat. He fell on the ground and struggled to breath, gasping for air.

The priests and monks gasped in horror to see their master wriggling on the ground, so vulnerable and easily defeated by the demon. They glanced at one another and in the impulse of the moment charged towards the demon with their staff. Yet, they had never came across a daiyoukai nor knew the power one could possess. With two quick swings of his sword, the holy men were thrown off the ground, flying far away from where they once stood with their souls being taken away from the wind. When the holy men fell, the daiyoukai turned his attention to the other villagers. He was still untouched.

"We are terribly sorry for your loss, my Lord. Please please spare us, we will do whatever you want," said the village head immediately on his kneels begging, trembling with naked fear. The rest of the villagers followed suit and kneeled down, moaning for forgiveness and bowing profusely to the ground.

"Please spare their lives, brother," murmured a voice behind him and he heard soft footsteps.

The Western lord turned and growled at her, staring at the familiar face.

"It is what Rin would have wanted. They know not what they have done," Kagome continued. Her voice was void of feelings and her eyes well dull as she gazed at the daiyoukai and the villagers.

"Yes, my lord. Please spare us, I beg for your mercy. Please have mercy," begged the village head with greater intensity.

"The priestess is right. After all, it was all her wrongdoings. Have mercy on us!" shouted one man hurriedly among the crowd, his voice quivered with fear.

"We have nothing to do with your ward's death, my lord."

"I agree. The priestess is the mastermind behind this trial. Just look at the blood stained on her robe."

The crowd jeered at her and resonated with agreement.

Kagome was bewildered and her eyes widened in disbelief. All of a sudden, they were pointing fingers at her. She felt betrayed, deceived and torn. She took a few steps away from the villagers as she felt a wave of nausea. Pairs of eyes, so unfamiliar glared at her, She was repulsed by their glares. Those eyes glistened with anger but also fear. It was dramatic and overwhelming. How could they turn the fault to her? She should have left the village for good She regretted coming back. She cursed the day she step foot into the village. They were going to make her a scapegoat for what they have done. In the name of God, they committed unforgivable sins and horendous acts. They needed someone to pay for their sins, and she was the perfect person, a priestess. At last, she knew well the reasons for accusing Rin, Rin who was the newcomer of their village, the odd one out. She was going to be their next victim.

No, she was already their next victim.

The demon lord snarled at the accused with profound hatred.

"Brother, you know it was not true," said Kagome in broken voice. She tried to keep her body from trembling but to no avail.

"I do not associate with wretched creatures such as you. And I know nothing." The demon growled at her. He was furious at the title she called him. He was not stupid to listen to the wretched creatures below his feet. He believed none of them.

Yet, a croaked voice destroyed her hope of explaining the situation. Her heart turned cold at the ultimate statement from someone she saved someone so insignificant in her life. "Lord Sesshoumaru. It is true. The wench is on their side."

"Jaken! You ungrateful toad!" she cried and looked at the tattered being in disbelief.

Why would he do that? She saved his life. He knew he would have died. He knew she had helped the girl and him escape. She thought they were friends. Friends do not betray each other. Was she the only naïve one to assume such things?

"For you have slain my ward and for that I seek your death," Sesshoumaru sneered as he turned his fullest attention to her.

"Without defence or question you pass judgement and sentence," retorted Kagome as pure fear crept onto her.

"The blood that stained your hands and cloth was that of Rin's. Do you then deny this fact?"

Kagome looked at the distorted figure in the daiyoukai's arm; the arrow wound was not obvious as the arrow was removed while the small sword remained deep inside Rin's body. Involuntarily, the priestess clenched her fists and felt the dried sticky blood against her palms, the ward's blood. She remained silent as words caught in her mouth. She shook her head; she would not say the reason. She could not say it. It was too cruel. What had really happened was still bizarre and messy to her. Her head felt like splitting and instinct told her she needed to run. To run away from this craziness. Even if, there was no way she could outrun the pursuer. He had just slaughtered the High Priest Commission, a priest with much more spiritual power than her. And the thought of the gruesome fate of the holy men made her shuddered. She had known him for his cruelty and merciless.

As if hearing her silent prayer, Shiro emerged from the crowd and stood next to her. He snorted angrily. "Shiro," she murmured, a tint of relief shown on her face. Without thinking, she grabbed onto the saddle and rode on her horse, galloped away from the doomed village.

"Jaken," said Sesshoumaru as he watched the retreating figure. There was no need for him to rush. The priestess would be punished accordingly. He rested the motionless body on the ground gently, far away from the crowd.

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"Look after Rin, "said Sesshoumaru as he retrieved the long lost two head staff and passed it to Jaken. "Do whatever you want with it."

Jaken took the staff from his lord's hand and thanked him. He walked towards the cowered villagers. His eyes were swimming with hatred and fury. Yes, now he could have his revenge, he thought as his gripped hard on the two head staff.

…

"Shiro!" cried Kagome as she saw the white horse torn into half. The organs of the animal splattered out. At the sight, Kagome felt nauseated but she continued running and tried hard to keep her bile down her throat. She had had stumbled onto the ground when she lost her grip on the Shiro's back upon sensing the overpowering aura of the daiyoukai and stood up to run. As she felt burning pain on her knees and sensed that she was losing her balance, she flung her hands up to protect her face before she fell heavily on the ground. The wind was knocked out of her with a grunt. Before she had had time even to draw breath, she heard the whooshing sound and felt her skin scalded with intense pain. She coughed out a cry and tucked in her knees to her chest to protect herself from another whipping pain.

"Why did you kill Rin?" Sesshoumaru sneered.

"I…di..dn't," she said as she struggled to breath, gasping for air as she felt the excruciating pain all around her body.

"Your lies are infuriating," scorned Sesshoumaru as he raised his whip again.

He whipped her until she lost consciousness and stared at her distorted body enraged. He felt no forgiveness for her. Her head was flopped to one side and her robe was stained with fresh blood so was the forest floor. Then he realised he had indeed hit her too hard.___ I_f he killed her like this, he would never get what he wanted. He thought thus to do her more evil than by death and grabbed her sleeve, dragging her back to the village in mockery.

_…____.._

The rain was pouring heavily on the grounds of the Western lands. The wind howled as if mourning the death. Sesshoumaru stood by the window, looking out. A piece of paper was in his hand and he crashed and melted it with acid in an instant. It was the wedding invitation card of the hanyou brother and the priestess.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, this Jaken misses Rin," Jaken mourned as tears gathered in his eyes. The toad mourned openly and he wept bitterly at night alone.

However, Sesshoumaru did not seek to comfort Jaken more than himself, for he met grief in silence and coldness in heart. All his warmth of his heart was for his ward, Rin. Though he played with her seldom and liked better to guard her unseen. Now, Rin was nowhere on the living world and his heart stilled once more as do the laughter in the castle.

A knock came and the Concil of Home Affairs stepped in. He greeted before reporting the urgent matter,"My lord, I am afraid the rain was exceptionally heavy this time. The water level around the moat are rising fast."

"Open the water gates," commanded Sesshoumaru as he remained with his back turned away from the Coucillor.

_…____._

Days after days, the demon lord came to the dungeon to interrogate her reasons of her wrongdoings. However, all she did was, on her conscience, answered to her internal sorrow, she knew Rin did die by her sword and beyond that all the tortures of the world could not force another syllable from her.

He was bored with the physically abuse he was inflicting on her and went away, locking the cell door. The cell was dark and small; she could not even stretch out her body in full length. This is dehumanising. She did not deserve this treatment.

She touched her face where he had hit her and wondered why he had not ended her life. No matter how he mistreated her, she could not bring herself to hate him. The death of Rin was too sudden and the way she ended her life was too unbearable for her to believe. And she knew well it would be so much harder for the daiyoukai. The will to conceal the truth from the daiyoukai was stronger than the will to free her from this injustice.

Vaguely, she felt the piercing pain in her left socket; she was sure she tore her ligaments and could no longer have the energy to lift her left hand. A tear slid down her cheeks and more came. She felt so distorted she wanted to go home. The smell of death and loneliness engulfed her every fibre. The stone floor was hard and cold and the stale air was making her dizzy. Raising her head, she looked up at the dark ceiling and stared at the light ray that shone through the coin-sized hole near the top of the prayed her saviour would come for her. Inuyasha was her only hope.

A long while past, then a rushing sound of water came to her ears and she felt a cold liquid under her soles. She panic and struggled to stand up on her feet with her back learning on the wall. The black water was rushing towards her and rising in dangerous speed.

_He was going to drown her._ The terrifying thought made her anxious and she started to push against the metal bars, shaking them, hoping they will come off – to no avail. The black water was hastening around her, pushing her and chocking her. The wounds were painful when the murky water touched her but she soon forgot all about them as she struggled to keep her head above the dangerously rising water. She could feel herself being pulled downwards by a great force and soon her head was submerged fully in the black water. She struggled frantically in the water, trying to swim towards the surface for the wall of the cell was tall. Her lungs screamed for air and her mind cried for help.

Just as she was about to lose her strength, she felt a force pulling her away to somewhere unknown to her. It seemed like hours before she felt the pressure on her chest lighten and once again the pungent smell of the dungeon attacked her nose. She grasped at the cold stone steps and coughed out the water that got into her throat and took in deep breaths hungrily. Her coughs and heavy breathing echoed in the dungeon.

When she saw another shadow beside her through her blurry eyes, she asked weakly, "Who are you?" and continued to breath heavily.

"I am Kawada, the guardian of the river around the Western Lands," said the figure and Kagome could see the shadow moving closer to her.

She wiped her eyes and gazed at the figure faintly. Kawada was transparent like a spirit, though she could make out the outline of his limbs and facial features.

"Why do you save me?" she murmured softly and lifted herself up a few more steps further away from the dark water that was then rising very slowly as if it was full to a certain capacity.

"Hmm…" the river guardian pondered. "I am always delighted to come in here occasionally during heavy rainfall, to gather the souls of the unfortunate but upon seeing you, young lady. I do believe it was a waste to take away your precious life. You are a pretty little thing, young lady. However, I know not what you have done to be in here. You must have fallen down the wrong hole."

Kagome could have laughed if she had the strength but she remained silent, breathing heavily. The musty smell of the dungeon was not doing anything better.

"Well, let's not waste any time. I shall tell you how to get to a safer ground. I am afraid the rain was exceptionally heavy this year," said Kawada as he peered down at Kagome.

"Would you not lead the way for me?" she asked weakly. She stood up unhurriedly and could feel the blood coming back to her legs, feel the numbness becoming pain. She gritted her teeth and reached out for her torn cloth to pull it closer to her body.

"No matter how much I wanted, I could not. It is beyond my ability," sighed Kawada and Kagome realised his body was submerged in the dark water throughout the first acquaintance. She nodded in understanding and the river guardian began to explain to her the route to higher and safer ground.

When the river guardian finished his instruction, Kagome thanked him gracefully and told him her name.

"Take care then, Ka-gome," said Kawada smilingly, wishing her all the best.

Kagome headed towards the direction Kawada had pointed. However, she tramped through the dripping, slimy way with great difficulty for her legs were stiff and the steps were sharp and cold. She led up into the spiral stairway between two walls into a gloomy corridor lighted only by one torch at its far end. She went along wearily, passing doors and metal bars. She advanced upwards into the passage for nearly a quarter of mile until before her, moonlight shown through the keyhole of an iron door.

That was the exit to the dungeon Kawada had told her. She was in no harm of facing the dark water. She slide down on to the floor and her back rested on the cold icy wall, then closed her heavy eyelids and embraced the darkness around her.

…..

"Sesshoumaru chan!" exclaimed the Lady as she spotted her son.

"Mother," the demon lord greeted back, slightly annoyed. "What brings you here?"

"You know you seemed so cheerless lately. What happened?" said the Lady as she moved to sit beside her child.

"It is none of your concern," answered Sesshoumaru as he turned his head away from the Lady. The Lady always had an uncanny sense of noticing certain matters, especially when it concerned her son.

"That is not the way you speak to your mother, " chided the Lady, "Hmm…This one is kind of feeling lonely; a grandchild would lighten up my days. Would you not find a mate now, Sesshoumaru chan? A wife would cheer you up."

"I am fine, mother."

"Ridiculous, a lord need to produce an heir some day. Here I brought you some portraits. Let me introduce them one by one to you. These ladies are all very delicate." The Lady said and proceeded to unroll several portraits she brought along with her.

"I told you I am not interested," said Sesshoumaru and he did not even glanced at the portraits.

The Lady placed her fingers on her chin and pondered for a moment. "What about Yuki chan. You seemed very fond of her."

"She is just something to pass time," said Sesshoumaru coolly.

"Tsk, tsk. Why could you not understand a mother's heart?" the Western Lady sighed," It is time to secure the throne, lest you want the bastard child to take over. All your ancestors would have gone to waste, son. You are intelligent aren't you?"

"The brat would never have the chance," said Sesshoumaru with a frown and after a moment of silence he continued, "But I do see you point, mother. An heir, is it?"

"Yes, of course. You cannot make me wait till my deathbed before I see my grandchildren, can you? Even if you have just one."

"Indeed, you are right," answered Sesshoumaru. If he did not produce an heir, the future of the Western lands would be in danger.

…

Kazuo was cleaning the building in which they now reside in. It was a few weeks since she and the rest were captured and trapped in the forbidden garden. The demon Lord had instructed and delegated different work for each of them. The females servants were supposed to take care of washing, cooking and other domestic chores, while the male servants were in charge of gardening and construction-related work. They were given rooms to reside in and the demon lord had specifically instructed the room on the third floor to be unoccupied. It was peculiar but no one dared to question the demon lord. They were petrified and unsure of the motives of the demon lord. They knew not the reasons he spared their lives. However, she anticipated something would happen. Sooner or later, a newcomer would surely occupy the room at the third floor.

Sooner or later.


	8. Ultimatum

Ultimatum

Sesshoumaru was on his way down to the dungeon to check on the priestess. There was no doubt she was dead by now, her body submerged fully in the dark water.

He paused.

His eyes widened a fraction when he smelt her scent lingered close to the entrance gate. There he found her slumped on the floor, her hair wet and disheveled. Her breathing was shallow and she laid as if she was in a disturbed sleep.

"It is a waste to destroy such a lovely creature, my lord," said a soothing voice. He immediately recognized it as Kawada, the river guardian.

"You attempt to rescue the life of my prisoner. Tell me, who is the lord here." Sesshoumaru scoffed.

"Please do not be angry, my lord. I am merely doing you a favour,' chuckled Kawada.

"Your sole duty is to guard the rivers," Sesshoumaru answered him loftily.

"Ay, but this young lady is a scrumptious discovery. She is pure and strong. I would have kept her by my side. A pretty little thing, this young lady. Don't you agree? " said Kawada. Though he was ghostly-like, his lips were visibly stretched into a broaden smile.

"Away! Leave before I cast you out of the Western lands."

"Please be patient, my lord. There is something I want to say," persisted the river guardian.

Sesshoumaru glared at Kawada but remained silent and listened to whatever the river guardian had to say.

"This young lady, Kagome," Kawada gestured to the figure on the floor and continued as he rested his hand on his chin, "is a precious being. I do believe she will be able to contribute greatly to the Western lands if, my lord, if, you let her remain alive. Though she may look weak, she is nonetheless a powerful priestess. It seems her true abilities are never uncovered."

"You seem to know a lot, Kawada," said Sesshoumaru as he contemplated the words of the river guardian.

"Ay, my lord. For this Kawada is old and traveled greatly," smile Kawada as he glided smoothly. "So about the girl, will my lord keep her?"

Kawada was a reliable prophecy. There was no harm in finding out whether Kawada insights were useful. For then, he would bring the girl to the garden to heal while he gathered information about the Shikon miko. Sesshoumaru made his decision and left the dungeon with the girl in his arms, leaving a pleased Kawada swimming gleefully.

…

The demon lord arrived at the forbidden garden in his usual hour however, this time Kazuo and the other humans realized there was a girl lying in his arms. She did look like a human. The young woman was unconscious and dressed in a plain, clean kimono. Her frame was small and seemed even smaller in the arms of the demon lord. It was hard to ignore the visible bruises and markings on her limbs and her pale skin. She was definitely injured badly but gratefully the wounds are healing.

The Lord introduced her as their Lady Kagome and they were to take care of her basic needs. The humans were all shocked by the news but dared not showed it. Instead they quietly accepted the order. They understood this Kagome was an unusual girl and her circumstances were different from them. Unlike them, she was to be treated like a lady, and not needed to do any work. However, like them, she was to stay in this forbidden garden. That get them thinking what has she done to anger the demon lord.

As expected by Kazuo, the new lady was moved to the unoccupied room. It was cleaned and a new futon was laid out before her arrival. Soon, the demon lord left after instructing her wounds to be treated.

Kazuo and Aoi began to dress her wounds with the medical supplies the demon lord brought. They were stunned to find lesions on many parts of the lady's delicate body. Some of them, Kazuo realized were the claw marks of the demon lord. Shaken by the sight of the wounds, they dared not imagine what happened to the youngster and gently applied medications and wrapped bandages around her injured body. Throughout the day, the youngster remained asleep and appeared unaware of her surroundings.

It was the next late morning when Kagome finally regained conscious. Kazuo had been taking turns with Aoi to look after her. It was Kazuo's turn and the older lady was quietly cleaning the room. Kazuo jerked when she saw the eyes of the younger lady staring at her.

Her gaze was not gentle and Kazuo felt her skin clawed. Kazuo was always looked with respect and timorous when she was the lady of the house then. The look on the young lady was cold and it made her felt like a child again. Kazuo did not know the true identity of this new lady yet. She may be a demon, although her body did look human to them, and now Kazuo looked into the eyes with the colour of ocean. The younger lady's sapphire eyes were unique compared to the natives. Maybe Lady Kagome was a demon afterall.

Unable to decide what to do, Kazuo kneeled motionless on the ground and tried to avoid the younger lady's stare. Then she observed the lady lifting her right hand to touch her throat and spoke in an almost inaudible voice, "Water."

Unthinkingly, Kazuo reached out for the teapot, poured a cup of water and handed over to the Kagome. She helped the Kagome up and placed the teacup over her lips in which the young lady drank the water in little slips till the cup was empty.

"Thank you," said Kagome in a clear voice and she sat up straight on the futon and began to inspect her surroundings. Her eyes started to wander around and finally landed back on Kazuo. Kazuo tensed and waited for the young lady to open her mouth again.

"Where am I, and who are you?" asked Kagome.

Kazuo long anticipated the questions, however she as unsure what to answer back. Hesitantly, she pointed to her mouth and tried to explain to the girl she was mute.

"You can't speak?" asked Kagome in disbelief. Her eyes widened a fraction.

Kazuo nodded her head and bowed apologetically. She felt odd to be timid in front of Kagome for she was definitely much older than the new lady. She understood a deeper depth about the resistance of Aoi to the idea of choosing life over committing jigai. Aoi was afraid and unwilling to loss the pride and honor as a samurai woman.

"Are there other people here?" Kagome asked.

Kazuo noticed the way she referred to the others as if they were of the same kind. This made Kazuo even more confused. Maybe Kagome was indeed a human being. She nodded her head and lifted her fingers to tell her the number of people residing in this place.

"Can they speak?" asked Kagome. "Not even one person?"

Kazuo shook her head profusely.

"Was it Sesshoumaru….the Inu daiyoukai that brought you all here?"

Kazuo nodded this time when she recognized the name of the demon lord. Though she was unsure how the new lady knew about him.

"Then this is the doings of Sesshoumaru?"

Kazuo paused momentarily; she was uncertain whom side this Kagome was on. They way she addressed the demon lord was disrepectful. Then after a long pause, Kazuo nodded again.

The reactions of Kagome were one that surprised the old lady. The girl cursed the demon lord vehemently and she shivered with anger at the plight of their situation. Kazuo was stunned for no one had dared to speak, rather, to show such insolence to the demon lord.

When Kagome recollected herself, she introduced herself. "I am Kagome. Who are you then?"

Kazuo made an effort to mime her name with her lips and it took a long while before Kagome managed to get it.

"Ka-zu-o, is it?" said Kagome in one last attempt.

Kazuo nodded and could not help but smile. The new lady's eyes had since softened and her gaze was gentler. The fact that Kagome took the effort to learn her name and sympathized with their plight made Kazuo believe that she was respectful and compassionate.

"Did you dress my wounds for me?" Kagome asked as she looked at her bandages and freshly cleaned body as well as her immobilized left hand.

Kazuo nodded and made a gesture to signal her there was another person too.

"There is another person? Well, I guess I have to thank her later. Your medical skills are impressive. Thank you very much, Kazuo san," said Kagome with genuine gratitude.

Kazuo could not help but felt herself began to like the younger lady.

After the day the younger lady woke up to the unfamiliar environment, she requested for a "tour" around the forbidden garden and to meet the rest of the nine prisoners of the demon lord. Initially, all of them were weary of this new lady. They were afraid she was a slave driver, the mistress of the lord or worse a demon in disguise. However, Kagome showed all signs of humanism. She eats three meals a day, sleep a good long hours and her wounds healed non too fast nor too slow. She was friendly and showed them respect. And she never command them to do work, she was always polite to ask for help. She often wondered if she spoke too much, realizing she was probably speaking to herself most of the time and not possible to get any reply, she spoke less and less. Preferring to communicate with them using hand signs or anything.

One day, Kagome wrote a whole list of characters on a piece of paper and told each one of them to point to the characters corresponding to their name in sequence to get their names right. She made all the trouble to learn about their names correctly. That was a major step for the ten prisoners to be loyal to her.

Moreover she was jubilant to find out every one of them was literate and they could communicate threw written words. That made things all the more easier and Kagome seemed more relieved and glad.

A few days later, Kazuo gathered her courage and wrote the question that was filled in her mind, _"Are you a human?"_

Kagome looked at the question for a long while and said, "Does it matter?" Her voice was soft but there was a hint of sadness.

Kazuo looked away, unable to face the younger lady. She felt as if she had done something wrong but there was no turning back. She was once a samurai lady; she had made the decision to know about the identity of the girl, she would face the consequence.

"If I am not a human, what then?" said Kagome.

Kazuo did not answer.

"Kazuo san. What do you think, am I a human?"

Kazuo nodded and hesitated for a while before lifting the brush to write, _"But your eyes are blue."_

"Oh, they are naturally blue. I inherited it from my father. In my hometown, there were people with green or grey eyes. They are mostly foreigners from the Western countries. My eyes colour is just unique in Japan. I am often mistaken as a foreigner," Kagome smiled.

_So you are really a human?_ Kazuo wrote.

"If you really want to know, yes, I am no different from you nor the others in this place."

Those words made Kazuo smiled in relief, but from the start she knew Kagome was different.

…...

Kagome wounds were mostly healed and she could move her left hand as usual. Though she still felt weak to lift up her left hand. Throughout her one month stay, the lord was nowhere to be seen. Kagome wondered about his sudden disappearance and his motives for leaving her in this foreign place. She had tried to find the exit to this garden, yet all she could discover was layers of barriers surrounding the garden.

The room she resided was spacious and oddly exclusive, away from the servants' quarters and facilities. She could not justify the doings of the demon lord. Her mind was constantly praying for the arrival of her saviour, Inuyasha. She wanted to get out of this mess dreadfully.

Then one day she felt the familiar aura. In an instant, a white figure appeared from the balcony of her room. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the demon lord. He was gazing at her with the same intensity in the cell a month ago. She gulped and took a step away from the intruder. He seemed to be inspecting her body and after a moment, he nodded as if satisfied with some unknown reasons to her.

She gathered her thoughts and asked with a steady voice, _"_Where am I?"

"You are where you should be, miko," said Sesshoumaru, gazing at her, his voice void of emotion.

Kagome shifted uncomfortably and gasped when she felt his face an inch away from hers.

He peered into her for a good minute, so long that Kagome felt as if his eyes were piercing through her soul, before announcing the outrageous intent. "You shall be my mistress."

"What?" she gaped, her hands covered her mouth, and she uttered quickly. "This is not the time to joke."

"This Sesshoumaru tells no joke, in a week's time, you will be mine," said the daiyoukai with a smirk.

She stared at him with widened eyes while her mind made a quick calculation; in exactly a week's time, it would be her wedding day. Her wedding with her love, Inuyasha.

"What are you talking about? This is outrageous. You cannot force me to be your mistress. I am engaged to Inuyasha," retorted Kagome, stressing each word with greater intensity.

"But not married. So long as the hanyou has not claimed you, you are free to be pursued. Even if you are indeed mated, that would not stop me," said Sesshoumaru.

"You must be insane. You hated humans! And you dare disgrace yourself to steal your brother's betrothed?" Kagome felt her head was swimming and tried to make sense of what was happening.

"I have never considered that half-demon my brother!" his voice was filled with malice and he continued as he stepped much closer to the miko,"It is true I have no intention of being involved with one such as you, miko, but circumstances have changed. I am in need of an heir."

There was a pregnant silence.

Kagome felt her blood ran cold. "YOU WOULD NEVER TOUCH ME!" she exclaimed as she realized the true intention of the daiyoukai. She scurried away from the daiyoukai, her heart beating furiously with fear and anxiety.

"I will whenever I wish," smirked Sesshoumaru as he moved effortlessly to close up the distance between him and the priestess and lifted her chin painfully, preventing her from moving away.

"The child will be a hanyou." She retorted, pointing out the important points to make him change his mind. That hanyous would stain great lines like his.

"It seems you do not know of your true power, miko," He sneered and he buried his head in the crook of her neck and sniffed.

"My true powers?" murmured Kagome. Her body stiffened with fear. She knew whatever he said would not be good. The situation would not turn out to be good for her. She knew she was losing it.

"I must travel the path of conquest and power is necessary in order to walk that path. And you, miko, are just what I sort for. It seems I have overlook this fact for a long time due to your humanity," murmured Sesshoumaru in her ear.

As if taking advantage of her distraction, the daiyoukai lifted her up and threw her onto the futon. Not waiting for her to catch her breath, he pressed his lips against her while holding her in place. Kagome struggled under him and he could taste the salty tears that rolled down her cheeks. As he caught the divine scent of her body, his lip move down and licked her collarbone before biting deep into her skin, drawing blood.

"Stop! What do you want from me?" she grimaced in pain.

"It is obvious," said Sesshoumaru as he began to strip off whatever was on her.

At this, she began to struggle with greater strength and shouted. "Stop! I rather you kill me now!"

Ignoring her struggles, he laid on top of her to stop her thrashing. She grasped under his weight and yelled "Leave me alone!"

"Go ahead and scream. No one will come for you. Not him," said the daiyoukai.

"You may not know but Inuyasha always come for me," said Kagome defiantly as she glared at him.

"Always?" he challenged as he stripped off her last clothing. Kagome gasped as the cold air hit her and she tried to keep her knees together. However, he was much stronger and positioned himself in between her legs.

"Let me go!" she shouted. Her heart beat rapidly with fear and rage. This was not happening. She felt her world crumbling apart. She was never touched like that before. It was wrong. Inuyasha would never force himself on her. She was engaged to Inuyasha She did not want to be with Sesshomaru. He was supposed to be her brother-in-law. She did not understand the reasons Sesshoumaru was acting this way. The injuries he inflicted on her in the cell was what she could endure but not this. She is an honest woman. She prayed Inuyasha would save her then.

She thrashed about, trying desperately to fight him off. With a last resort, she grabbed his wrist with her stronger hand and called for her spiritual power. A blue light came between them and for a few seconds Sesshoumaru released his hold but immediately, he grabbed her hands to keep them in place.

"Cease your nonsense. I have no intention to take you now," said Sesshoumaru with a frown.

Her mind screamed for him to release her at once but her body went limp at his words and she struggled to keep her breathing steady. She winced when he felt him licking her wounds he had inflicted. What irony, she thought.

When he was done, he lifted her chin and said huskily, sending shivers down her exposed skin. "Think about it, miko. I assure you the process will be pleasurable and pleasing to you."

Kagome stared at him with disbelief and pressed her lips together to prevent herself from saying something that she would regret. For then, she only wanted him to get off her the very millisecond.

As he stood to leave, he lifted his clawed fingers dangerously and said, "One last thing, miko. Do not forget I can slaughter your friends and the hanyou easily."

At his harsh tone, Kagome found herself overwhelmed with fright again. Her heart sunk as she realized he was blackmailing her. On one hand, she dreaded Inuyasha and her friends' safety. On the other hand, she wanted to protest and fight back. The result would be him killing every single one of her friends. He knew well that she could never bare such a thought. He had shown mercy before, but he had shown greater vengeance. She would not carry the guilt of their deaths.

It would kill her.

_…__._

"Where have you been, Lord Sesshoumaru? The Elders have come to discuss on the highly important matter, particularly, the heir of the Western lands," rambled the Council.

The Council reported the same thing repeatedly during every single meeting. The demon lord wished they could stop tormenting him and he waved his hand to stop the Council from speaking.

When the hall was silent, to Sesshoumaru's satisfaction, he announced, "I will produce an heir."

In an instant the whole hall paused in motion and every member pricked their ears to catch whatever their loud had just announce.

Sesshoumaru continued, "In a year time, I shall introduce the heir to the court. And I forbid anyone of you to ask who the child bearer is."

…..

She had to act fast.

She needed to find an exit to the outside world, back to Kaede's village. She ran across grasslands and under rows of tall trees. The scale of the garden amazed her and she was astonished by how deep the captives, including herself were hidden. She traveled almost half an hour before she felt the first layer of barrier. She called for her spiritual power to break through the barrier but to no avail. The barrier hardly moved, as if it was made of steel. She remembered there was usually a weak spot hidden in a barrier and she tried to search for it. Yet, all she found was another layer of barrier behind the first layer. She wondered if the demon lord was out of his mind to build such a secretive and secluded place. Moreover, his outrageous intentions were absurd and she could not help but conclude that Sesshoumaru was indeed _nuts._

There was no way he would want her.

Has Rin's death affected him so much?

Memories of his touch sent goosebumps to her skin and she shivered at the thought of his words. After he left, she had had down buckets of water over her body to wash away his scent and touch. She could not sleep well at night for she feared something might happen when she closed her eyes and became unaware of her surroundings.

Her heart stopped beating for a second when she felt his presence a feet away from her. She turned around and looked at him wary and folded her arms. Before she could move a step back, Sesshomaru buried his face in the crook of her neck. She froze and panic, she knew what was his goal, and she was extremely unwilling to participate in it.

"Why are you not acting according to your principle?" she asked.

"Flexibility is an important characteristic a lord needs to acquire, miko," answered Sesshoumaru simply and nibbled her neck.

"I do not understand what you want from me. Release me. Find another girl," said Kagome as she tried to push him away.

"Have you forgotten how you came here in the first place?"

"Rin."

"It is simple, a life for a life."

"It is not me..", retorted Kagome but before she could finish, she felt a sharp pain on her neck and she winced in pain.

"Silence! You know not how much Rin means to me," sneered Sesshoumaru as he grabbed her neck and peered into her eyes with profound abhorrence.

She looked into those golden eyes, they were icy cold, betrayed no emotions. Yet, she swore those eyes hid an immense amount of sadness.

"No one deny the order of this Sesshoumaru. Let's see, I shall claim you with the little ceremony of your human custom, then you would be willing to agree to my terms," said Sesshoumaru as he relaxed his hold.

"I would never do that. I am promised to Inuyasha," rebuked Kagome quickly, glaring at him.

"Do not be difficult with me. If I remove the half breed, then there will be nothing between us."

"You would not dare. And there is no us, " said Kagome with clenched fist.

"Wouldn't I? The half breed's life is mine to take all along," replied Sesshoumaru nonchalantly.

"Show some compassion," Kagome said anxiously.

"Compassion?" Sesshoumaru raised an eye brow, and smirked, "Alright, we will strike a deal, miko."

"A deal?"

"Yes. If the half breed happens to find you before midnight on the day of your wedding. I will release you unconditionally."

"Unconditionally? You will? " asked Kagome eagerly, almost unable to believe what she had heard.

"This Sesshoumaru does not repeat himself."

There was hope.

…

_Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!_

Dressed in an elaborated white kimono for wedding, the bride drank another bottle of sake. She had had already swallowed four bottles of sake. She placed the empty bottle down and prepared to take another bottle but release there was none left. She stared angrily at the white fabric again. She loathed it so much that she wanted to burn it the instant for it was his gift for her.

"The deal is long up. The brat is not coming," said a baritone voice beside her.

"Quiet! He will come! I know he would. He always comes for me," said the bride in between hiccups.

"According to my knowledge, it is half past twelve," said the bridegroom as he gazed at the flushed face of the bride.

"Yes, he always comes for me. Don't change the topic," said Kagome. Her head was drowsy and she clasped the fabric of the kimono, " What you are doing is morally wrong."

"You moral standards do not apply to the youkai society, miko," said the demon lord stoically.

"You are not going to change your decisions?"

"That is the payment you owe."

What was the cost of a life? No matter how much she wanted to scream that it was not her doings, she did not have the audacity to speak of the truth. A part of her heart blamed herself for giving the sword to Rin. Another part of her heart wanted to forget that the fate of Rin, for Rin's soul would not enter the Pure Land. She could almost see Rin's soul being trapped in the fires of the hell.

As for the demon lord, his reason was simple. An heir was an utmost importance to secure the Western lands, for wars are emerging and the country was in a chaotic state.

"It seems you can be illogical at times. Why me? Why not pick a demoness to produce an heir. I am certain there are many demoness for you to choose from," asked Kagome.

"It is true I could satisfy my needs with them. However, to find a suitable bearer to the heir of the Western land is a total different matter, miko. You are pure, young, fertile and most importantly, you have the power incomparable to the rest."

It would have sound like a compliment yet she felt degraded. No matter what was the reason, she could not agree with him. She knew he had chosen to take her on the day of her supposed wedding maliciously.

He lifted her wrist and made a cut across it, drawing blood, which half-filled a small cup. Then he repeated the same procedure with his wrist, mixing his blood and hers before lifting the cup to her lips in which she drank half.

The irony taste of the blood was sickening but she managed to swallow it in one gulp. Her visions were blurring and her eyelids seemed to weigh a ton. Vaguely, she felt the warmth of the other as she was lifted up and carried away.

"You darn fool," she muttered when her back felt the soft feather futon.

Wordlessly, he bent over her and bit her lips, tasting her blood, after he laid her down on the futon.

"Let me sleep, won't you?" she requested, her voice low and raspy.

Ignoring her, his lips nibbled her neck as he began to unrobe her. Her skin was milky white and her curves were perfect. She turned her head away and tried to keep her legs closed, but he opened them easily and muffled her screamed with pain as he covered her mouth with his, at the intrusion in her body. He had suddenly forced his cold finger between her legs. Her reactions showed that she was very inexperience, which surprised him slightly.

She waited for the ultimate pain to come but when he entered her, her body was surprised a warmth, which spread through her body. Her body was on fire. Maybe it was the effect of the sake, she thought. Her body seemed to rejoice at a source of heat so much more potent than the dim candle. This troubled her and she felt ashamed that her body should take pleasure in the act.

She justified it must be the effect of the sake. "You fool," she murmured as she closed her eyes again and willed herself to sleep, ignoring the warm sensations on her skin.

For the first minutes of her awakening, Kagome felt a splitting pain on her head and lifted her fingers to rub her temples. However, the heavy arm around her waist and the soft whisper of the baritone voice made her back stiffened.

"Miko."

Blurry memories of the night flooded her mind and she tried to move away. Sesshomaru had wrapped his arm around her waist, and held her tightly against his body; he would not let her move. She could feel his mouth on the back of her neck, slowly kissing and licking it, She shut her eyes close tightly, wishing it all away. It troubled her that her body could almost innocently take pleasure in it and she was determined not to let him know it. The soreness between her legs made her heart sink in her chest. She was taken against her wish. There was no turning back. It was the point of no return.

Her dream of having a life with Inuyasha was shattered.


	9. Lost

**Lost **

The people in the garden were mistrustful of the new lady. She was not assigned any chores and she addressed the lord openly. Most of all, she kept her ability to speak. Yet, their mind changed when they realized Lady Kagome's plight was much sorrowful and cruel than theirs. The demon lord impregnated her.

Kazuo remembered well the day when Kagome refused to rise from bed. She was ashamed, angered and disgusted. It was after a long persuading before Kagome took a bath and changed to new clothing, that the demon lord had given.

From that day, Kagome lost her usual humor, she no longer laugh and her lips only curved up slightly when she greeted them. Most of the day, she would walk alone silently around the garden.

Upon discovering the young lady's pregnancy, Kazuo cooked ample of rice for her and gave her all she could eat of it along with extra portions of silver carp, nutritious precious food in those days of shortage. The young lady was hungry all the time, but she was unwilling to eat, since it was as painful for her to go hungry, as it was to feel obligated to him for special treatment. Her hesitation did not go unnoticed. One day, Kazuo lectured her rather formally with written words.

_I think your reluctance is quite foolish. I understand you may feel uncomfortable during your pregnancy but you need nutrients to produce a healthy child. Regard these foods as necessities for your baby's nourishment. Please I urge you to eat them with all our blessings._

**_Kazuo_**

_"It is your duty to produce a healthy child." _The demon lord had told her once.

Kagome shook her head with denial and reluctantly picked up the chopsticks and began to eat slowly. She understood well of Kazuo's concern for her. Kazuo meant no harm. There was no point in explaining nor resisting. Indeed, she was famished.

….

In the kitchen, a dark shadow moved quickly and stopped at the edge of the table where the tray of food for the priestess laid. The dark shadow lifted a hand, which held a piece of paper folded into halves and began to pour the contents in between the paper into the bowl of soup.

Unexpectedly, the shoji door opened and Kazuo came into the kitchen and caught her daughter in law, Aoi, red handed. Kazuo snatched the piece of paper hurriedly and slapped Aoi's cheek in fury.

What are you doing? Kazuo stared in disbelief as her eyes communicated with that of Aoi's.

Aoi touched her slightly swollen cheeks and glared back at her mother-in-law. She gingerly held onto a brush and wrote on the notebook that each of them had with them all the time.

She deserves it, mother. Why do we have to suffer_ so much? We have to get rid of her, get rid of the child that she is carrying._

_Kazuo looked in horror at the unspoken words of Aoi's thoughts._

**_Aoi, Kagome do not wish this to happen. She is also a victim. How could you do such a thing? Have you forgotten about your morals and your duties? __Kazuo wrote back in replied._**

_Kazuo had noticed Aoi had been cold towards the young lady. She thought it was just because she was older than Kagome and the upbringing of the samurai class. _

_Mother, I do not care. Why do you protect this woman? You do not even know her and neither does she know us at all. _Aoi replied.

_Aoi, don't be ridiculous. The lord will punish any foolishness act. It is our duty to serve the lord and protect Lady Kagome. _

_It is not our duty! We are forced to work here, have you forgotten that, mother. To serve this lady who locked herself in the room and act as if only she's the only one suffering! I will never bow down and serve someone like her. Never! _Aoi wrote furiously on the paper. She gritted her teeth to suppress the boiling rage inside her.

_Good heavens! What have become of you, my dearest daughter? Your intentions are wicked and wrong. Please stop this foolishness at once. I shall forget about this act of insanity. Now, my daughter, be good and hide yourself before someone else sees you._

_Mother, this Aoi is not afraid of death. For this one has lost hope of living. Allow me to be the one who stop these sufferings. I dread imagining what else would happen to us._

_Nonsense, you will live, Aoi. We will live through these together. Be strong, dearest daughter._

_…._

Months passed and the baby was due. Kagome felt her body tore apart, and she prayed for the excruciating pain to go away. When she felt herself being sliced into two, the pain subsided and she heard the sound of newborn cry. It was heaven call. Water was brought to her lips and she hungrily drank it while Kazuo wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"It's a boy?" Kagome spoke weakly.

Kazuo nodded in reply.

"Let me see him," Kagome murmured as she held out her hands weakly.

However, Kazuo hesitation alarmed Kagome. Vaguely, she realized she could no longer hear the baby's cries. Kazuo looked at her with sadness and shook her head.

"Kazuo-san? Let me see my son," she commanded, fear crept into her soul.

Kagome struggled to sit up but she was held down by the ladies beside her.

"What are you doing? Let go! I want to see my child. Where is he?" Her voice quivered as tears blurred her vision. Her blood ran cold at the thought of losing her child. No, he could not do that.

"Where's my child?" she cried repeatedly, as she tried to pull herself up from bed desperately. However, her body was exhausted. She was helpless and her voice became softer as she felt light headed and her strength drained from her body.

…

Everyone thought it would have been Yuki, the courtesan, whom the Western lord was very fond of. She had been chosen to serve only the lord. Sesshoumaru visited her several times and bestowed her with gifts and privileges. Yet, there was no sign of pregnancy in Yuki nor could the courts think of other demoness. They were starting to worry and it definitely came as a surprise when the prince was carried to the court to meet the Elders in Ejishima's hand.

Of course, the court knew there was no possibility that Ejishima was the mother and no one raised a question for they had pledged never to question the lord.

After a brief introduction, the prince was arranged to stay in the lady's quarters with specially chosen foster mothers. This made Ejishima's husband, Katagiri, who stood at the hall among the generals, beamed with pride for he was delighted to learn that his wife would be the foster mother of the prince.

"Yuki, have you heard of the news?" asked the demoness who came running to report the news.  
"Yes," the courtesan answered in a silky voice. She calmly picked up another flower stalk and placed it into the vase in a desirable position.

She was just a courtesan. Lord Sesshoumaru would never make her his concubine. It was all fantasy. She ought not to fall in love. The Oka lectured her once. "Never give your heart away, you will only suffer."

She never understood those words then.

…..

Kazuo was bringing newly cleaned towers up to Kagome's room. She tiptoed down the corridor and gently opened the shoji door. However, her eyes widened when she found the futon empty.

Lady Kagome was not in the room. She was missing.

This is no good, she had just given birth and needed rest. The rain had not stopped since mid afternoon, surely she could not have gone out of the pavilion. If she did, she would surely catch a cold in this weather.

Kazuo immediately informed the rest and they ran all over the places to look for the young lady. It was supposed to be an easy task, yet the weather brought much difficulty since it was blurry outside and the ground was slippery. Kazuo opened a paper umbrella and rushed out to the garden area, she tried to look for signs of Kagome. She found none. Then she tried the forest.

At the point of time, Kazuo cursed the demon lord for what he had done. She had lost her voice. And he had taken her family away. She felt frustrated not able to shout out the young lady's name. The soles of her shoes was muddy and she lost her footing many a times, causing her to get soak even more.

Kazuo finally found the priestess when her underclothes were soaked and her hair was wet with rain. There, at the barrier of the garden, she found Kagome crouched down, her face buried in her arms. Kazuo walked swiftly towards the younger lady and offered her shelter from the rain with the umbrella. Her skin was pale white and she was shivering, Kazuo knew not how long the young lady had been out. Kazuo quickly took of her outerwear and put around the young lady. At that, Kagome lifted her head up at the source of the warmth and looked dejectedly at the older lady. She looked as if her soul was dead. Kazuo stood struck, in those eyes, she saw part of herself.

Only a woman who had lost her child understood the pain. The day when news about her sons' death reached her, Kazuo felt her world crumbled apart. She had longed to join them in the eternal world every day. She felt her vision blurred and it took a few moments for Kazuo to realize she was too crying. She kneeled down on the ground and embraced the younger woman. She had no idea how long they stayed that way, sobbing fully. She could vaguely remember how the rest of the servants found them and carried her back to the quarters.

All she could remember was the rain. The rain, which washed away everything.

…..

Kazuo looked worriedly at the younger lady. While the servants changed into new dry clothes, they found Kagome to be suffering from fever upon arriving back at the chambers. The servants tried to lower her fever and used whatever method they knew to treat her. A wet clothe. Warm stove. Warm water. Everything. Her state of health made the servants felt helpless. It must have been a built on of stress and neglect of her health. The rain was a catalyst to her illness. The medical supplies in the pavilion were scarce and she urgently needed to consult a physician.

With a last resort, Kazuo opened the shoji door that lead to the balcony frantically and took out the whistle she had with her. The demon lord had instructed her to blow into it three times continuously if anything unforeseen happened. Without hesitation, Kazuo blew into the whistle three times. Strangely there was no sound coming out of the whistle. Kazuo frowned and inspected the whistle. Surely, she had not damaged the tool.

It was not long when she saw a white figure approaching the lady's chamber. She breathed a sign of relieve and kneeled to greet the demon lord.

"What is it?" Sesshoumaru commanded.

Without wasting any moment, Kazuo led the demon lord to the sickly figure. The smell of illness filled his nose and he understood that the priestess was seriously ill. He placed a hand on the forehead of the younger lady and peered into her face. Her eyebrows were touching and her lips were pale. Without wasting any moment, he carefully scooped her into his arms. The priestess was almost weightless under his arms. Though she was shivering, her head was burning.

"We will be back," he said and left, leaving an anxious Kazuo.

Soon, he reached the village he seek and knocked on the door of the well-known physician.

"It is two in the morning. Who could it be?" the physician mumbled as he unlocked the door, still dressed in his nightshirt. He was more than shock to see the western lord standing outside of his house.

"How may I help you, my lord?" he asked with a bow.  
"Treat her. If she did not get well, I will not hesitate to end your life," answered Sesshoumaru curtly.

"That was not the way to ask for help." The old physician thought but he made no noise and could do nothing but practice his profession. Forgetting about sleep, he ushered the lord to an unoccupied room and placed clean mattress on a wooden bed.

"It seems she is under a lot of stress and she lost a lot of blood and energy lately. I fear, my lord, she is very ill," said the physician as he placed a finger on the patient's hand to feel the pulse.

"Do what you can to treat her."

"I am afraid I am unable to treat her without your help, my lord."

"What is it?"

"Blood…my lord, this lady required a source of energy to pull her through. And I do know that daiyoukai blood is used as medicine, provided the lady does not reject it. You see, my lord, she is a priestess. However, I do notice she had taken your blood before, haven't she?"

"Hn. She is my property."

"I see. That would make things easier, " said the physician delightfully for there was definitely a way to save the lady.

"Do what is necessary."

"Yes, my lord. I would proceed with the treatment."

…

"It would be best for her to rest for the next few days. She should not move too much before she fully recovered. I will brew some medicines for her now, " said the physician after a long hour of intense treatments.

The physician went to the kitchen to prepare the medicine. He was fortunate to have enough supplies of the rare herbs to treat the lady. It was not unheard of humans dying during cold days. Winter was approaching and the weather was getting colder and many households could not afford a fire place. Children and the old usually fell victim to the cold weather.

"I would feed her," Sesshoumaru said as he took over the bowl of newly brewed medicine. All the while, he had stayed by the side of the priestess.

"Yes, my lord," the physician answered, hiding the surprise he felt.

"You may rest now. I will call upon you if her condition worsen."

"Yes, my lord," answered the physician before retiring to his quarter.

The demon lord sat at the edge of the bed and started transmitting the antidote from his own mouth to the patient. The patient was ingesting a black bean broth very slowly, not realizing that she was sipping out of the lord's mouth. When her numbed tongue moved between his lips, he responded with his own and repeated this act many times until the large bowl of broth was consumed. Contented, she fell asleep once more.

Sesshoumaru looked at her intensely, the taste of the priestess lingered on his lips. It was sweet and intoxicating. Now, his blood flowed in her body. It seemed he should never let her go for she would age no more. It was unexpected, a risk and not in his plan. Yet, he felt thrilled and pleased. Even more, the priestess is fun to play with. His lips twitched into a smirk as he gazed at the sleeping priestess.

Kagome took sick and lay long in a fever and dark dream. Unknown to her, the demon lord had fed her several more times with the same way. When she was healed, for such was the strength of life that was in her, she requested the lord to release her.

"Release me now. You have what you want," said Kagome. Her skin was still pale and her body was weak.

"Who said I am done with you?" said the demon lord as he stared at her coldly, sitting close the edge of the futon.

"You have an heir. You got what you wanted. Release me this very moment," said Kagome vehemently through gritted teeth as she clenched her fists.

"I want you, Kagome," said Sesshoumaru as he lifted his hand to caress her face.

Her heart skipped at those words, her hand flew to smack his hand away, but he caught the hand easily. She shook her head profusely as she closed her eyes shut in protest. "No, no, no. There is no way you would want me."

"You do not understand this Sesshoumaru at all," said Sesshoumaru as he glared at her, tightening the hold on her hand.

"Release me! I am not going to play your sick games," she spoke and glared back.

"There is no game," he said aloofly. He seemed so cold and detached, as if he was just waiting for her to get over her tantrum.

"You have no rights to take my son away from me. Let me see him," she said.

"Do not even think about it, priestess. He shall not be corrupted by your kind."

"You demon, you stole my child away from me!" she cried.

"And you stole her away from me!" he snapped.

"It is not what you think. You will never understand!"

"Then pray tell why did you do it?" he asked in malice.

She remained silent and turned her head away. He stared at her with detested, it was the always the same. She would refuse to speak another word whenever he questioned her the reason she ended Rin's life. She neither gave an explanation nor admitted her doing.

"Let me leave this dreadful place, villain," she said after a moment.

"I won't let you leave. You belong to me, you're mine," with that he planted a forceful kiss on her lips. He could taste her tears as if they were poison. He knew not why he felt his heart grew heavier and he pulled away suddenly and walked out of the room, slamming the shoji door shut.

"Do cook rice porridge and give her an egg. She hasn't eaten for days," he instructed Kazuo as he reached the kitchen, before leaving for the castle.

_…._

Several years later,

"Why did you save me, Kawada san?" asked Kagome as she sat at the edge of the river, her legs half submerged in the river.

"Hmm… because you are a pretty little thing, Kagome sama," answered the river guardian.

"You should have left me alone."

"Don't say that Kagome sama, you have great duties yet to be performed," answered Kawada as he swam around the priestess.

The lady made no response and stared blankly at the sky.

Last month, the demon lord found out about the relationship between two servants, in disgust, he sent all the male servants out of the garden and to the army, to fight in the front line against the Northern troops. No human could survive the wars between demons, and every single human in the forbidden garden knew it would be the last time they would see the male servants again. The young female servant fell ill and never rise again from bed. Her ashes, alongside with her diary, were buried under a maple tree.

With the male servants gone, the females became responsible for the heavier workload, while as replacement, the demon lord had brought three other humans- all females.

….

In the mirror, there were two women of the same age, one was staring at the reflection while the other was combing the hair of the other so as to make preparation for the visit of the demon lord. Yet one of them looked much older than the other. As if she was struck by lightning, the younger looking woman realised she herself was not aging.

Did Chio notice it? Did everyone notice it? Kagome started to tremble.

Chio paused her actions and turned to look at her with worried eyes. Kagome looked back at Chio, her wrinkle was slightly visible at the corner of her eyes and there were hidden grey hair. Unable to looked at Chio, she stood up suddenly and ran out of the room. Chio immediately followed her behind, feeling puzzled.

Kagome ran to the kitchen to search for some unknown thing, she opened up cupboards, the rice bag, the stove, and she did not seem to find anything amiss. Chio and the rest looked at her worriedly.

What are you looking for? Lady Kazuo wrote on a notebook.

Kagome shook her head. "It is okay, I will find it myself."

When she looked at Natsu and Lady Kazuo she realised how much Lady Kazuo had aged, and how she looked as young as Natsu.

"You did noticed it, didn't you, Lady Kazuo" she looked at Kazuo.

Kazuo looked at her in a puzzled face.

"I look the same the first day we met," she added.

Hesitantly, Kazuo nodded her head while the rest of the women backed away from her.

They were afraid of her, they were afraid she was turning into something else.

She went back to her room. There had to be something. She ruled out he fact it was the jewel for she had grown further when she was pulled back to the modern era after the Naraku's death. It had to be Sesshoumaru's doing. He exploited her. Her emotion needs and vulnerabilities were not treated as characteristics, which call for consideration, but as factors that were manipulated to encourage her to make a self-sacrifice to him. In a fit of anger, she smashed the mirror. All the while, her hands trembled violently.

It was a long while when she heard the door knock, which she did not bother to answer as she began to pick up the shattered pieces. The shoji door opened quietly and Kazuo came in to help clear away the mess.

"Lady Kazuo, what should I do? If you leave me one day, who will look after me?" asked Kagome dejectedly.

Kazuo smile gently at the young looking woman, while she tried to think of something to write down, to console this lost soul. Yet, for the first time, words failed her.

Since then, Kagome refused to look into any mirror, relying solely on Chio to make her presentable to the lord.

….

"Why am I not growing older?" she confronted the demon lord sitting opposite her.

"Drink," said Sesshoumaru as he ignored her question.

"I refuse to drink that, you added something to my drink," said Kagome. She knew it sounded ridiculous but the only think she consumed differently from the others was the drink.

"Indeed, I was waiting to see how long it would take you to realise, " answered Sesshoumaru.

"How long do you intend to keep me?"

"I told you before, Kagome," he inched towards her and breathed the answer into her ear before biting it. "Forever." He easily dodged her attack and continued with his back straightened. "I could easily dispose of and replace the old and the dead. There are plenty of them to choose from."

"You are sick, in fact, you are mad," said Kagome as she glared at him and rubbed her ear to erase his touch.

"Hm. It seems the old woman has not taught you well. You know, there are many who annoys this Sesshoumaru." As soon as he finished his sentence, he grabbed hold of the nearest human neck. It was Natsu, one of the new servants.

"Leave her be," Kagome said as her anger began to subside and replaced by fear. Her heart turned cold as she realized he would torture them. "This is between you and me."

"They are traitors and filthy creatures like you, human. On what grounds do you demand me to stop?" he spoke coldly and arched a sleek brow as he looked down at Kagome and he further tightened his hold on Natsu's throat. Natsu was obviously suffocating and in much pain. Her lips are turning paler and in great agony. Natsu would die if she did not make up her mind. She hated him. She despised him with all the fibre in her body.

"I will follow your orders," she said through gritted teeth.

He released his hold on Natsu slightly. "That will not be enough to save such a filthy life."

Had he not have enough? She was still under his manipulation. He will kill them. She knew he would do it. Finally, Kagome replied in defeat as the fight in her eyes fell away and emptiness began to settle in. "I yield to thee, Lord Sesshoumaru. Please just leave them alone."

Sesshoumaru released the hold on Natsu at last and dropped her carelessly on the ground. Kagome quickly ran to Natsu's side as Natsu gasped hungrily for air.

"Take her away," commanded Sesshoumaru and two servants immediately brought Natsu away and left instantly.

"Now, my beautiful priestess, you shall pleasure me," said Sesshoumaru as he lifted her chin. His voice low and raspy.

She glared at him with wide open eyes and with real hatred showing in those eyes as she replied, "I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual," Sesshoumaru shrugged his shoulder. He lifted her and carried her to the futon. Undressing her easily, he ordered. "Spread your legs,"

"No." she pressed her legs together, she could never give herself up willingly and when he bent over, trying to work his way in, she kneed him in the face. He growled and slapped her, delighted that she still had some fight left in her. As he lay there on her, he said, "You hate me don't you? Just like I hate you."

He kissed her tasting the salty blood on her lips. He felt a desperate need to join her, to merge together. As he sucked at her lips and entered her, he asked, his voice almost tender. "Does it feel good?" She gasped but did not answer.

...

"Does it feel good?" the man on her side asked as she was roused back to present. It was morning and he had demanded her body yet again. She closed her eyes to keep him from finding out that she had responded to him. She hated him with her whole being, and it horrified her to think that her eyes would not show him that fact if she looked in them now. He told her he hated her. Why didn't he stop forcing himself on her and just finish her off?

"You are broken inside," she told him. Her hand touched the bandages lazily as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You need rest," said Sesshoumaru. He had noticed the priestess had not slept well the night before.

"Indeed, I do," she answered and closed her eyes.

He pulled her close and wrapped his hands around her waist.

…..

_Thank you for all your support. _

_I write when there is inspiration, so I have not really decided on the ending. I am thinking what if Sesshoumaru never found out about the truth behind Rin's death. _


	10. Crossed Path

_Crossed Path_

"It seems you found a new lover, Sesshoumaru chan," said his mother.

"What makes you assume that?" said her son, arching an eyebrow.

"You stopped visitng the Hanakoen, if it is not women what else does a man indulge in?" the Lady of the West looked playfully in the eyes of her son. Hanakoen was where the courtesans resided.

"Make no more guesses for there is no such person," said the Lord and turned his gaze away from his mother.

"Hmm. You really are hiding her somewhere," said the Lady thoughtfully and she sipped the drink from her cup, savouring the bittersweet taste before asking,"Who is she?"

"Mother, I do not wish to discuss this."

"Sesshoumaru chan, it is cruel to keep secrets from your own mother," said the Lady as she placed a hand on her son's shoulder lightly, making her son turned his gaze back to her.

"I fulfilled my part and produced an heir. There is nothing more to discuss," answered the Lord coldly and with an air of finality.

"You are so uncute, Sesshoumaru chan," said the Lady with pursed lips and walked lightly away to visit her much adorable grandchild.

…...

"I guess Inuichi would not find me here," thought Yoshiaki as he hid himself under a thick tree root, covered by bushes and shrubs.

Yoshiaki and Inuichi and other playmates were going out of the castle to play and practice swordsmanship. Ejishima had set a curfew before dinnertime. They practiced many rounds and were tired. Bored with swordsmanship, they decided to play hide and seek. Inuichi was chosen as the catcher and while he was counting up to hundred, the other pups went their way into the woods and grasslands to hide.

They had played this game many times and Yoshiaki knew fairly well all the good hiding places. This time, he decided to venture deeper into the woods and he found the tree bark. As Yoshiaki lied flat on his chest and waited patiently for the seeker, he heard a faint sound. His ears twitched to the listen more carefully. He lifted his head slightly to see his surrounding.

There was a boy about his age, squatting under a tree a few feet away from him. However, the boy was not one of his playmates. The boy was obviously trembling and he had his clasped while he chanted a prayer, which Yoshiaki could not comprehend.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed in the forest. "Don't you think you can run away, boy!"

In an instant, the boy jerked his head up and looked frantically around in fear.

Feeling danger was not far, Yoshiaki called out as softly as he could to the boy.

"Hey! Pss!"

The boy turned his head towards the voice and saw Yoshiaki waving a hand and hiding under the tree roots.

"Come over here," whispered Yoshiaki as he gestured the boy to hide with him under the tree roots.

The boy got up from his position and quickly ran towards where Yoshiaki was. Yoshiaki at once made way for the boy to hide beside him.

"Thank you. I am Taka." Taka said and smiled gratefully.

"You are welcome. I am Yoshiaki." He smiled back, showing his teeth.

On a closer inspection, Taka realized this boy not only had silvery white hair but also blue eyes and canine teeth. "Are you a demon?" Taka grew weary and Yoshiaki sense the other boy's discomfort.

"Yes, I am," answered Yoshiaki cheerfully.

Unexpectedly, Taka shrieked in fright, forgetting about the fact that they were supposed to be hiding.

"Found you!" yelled the rough voice and both of them could hear the footsteps of another approaching. Alarmed, Yoshiaki held onto Taka's hand and pulled him up as they ran down the forest as fast as they could.

"Come back here, you scum!" the man shouted. Yoshiaki could not sense any youki from the man but he was sure the man meant harm. He prepared himself to slain the man as he gripped on his sword with the other hand. On the other hand, Taka was confused and frightened, he did not know who he should run away from, he wanted to push away Yoshiaki's clawed hands but his gripped was tight and he could only follow the demon child's quick pace.

It was not long when they stopped at the side of the river. Yoshiaki was prepared to step into the water when Taka pulled him back.

"I can't swim," said Taka with worried eyes.

"There you are, you disrespect filth," a coarse voice said behind them. "And who are you, boy?" asked the man as he pointed his sword at Yoshiaki.

Taka shivered at the sight of the man and hid behind Yoshiaki. "Help me," he whispered desperately. Even if Yoshiaki was a demon, he would save him right?

"I am Yoshiaki," replied Yoshiaki. With a swift movement, he drew his sword and stood bravely to face the pursuer. _Have Courage._Yoshiaki was an aristocratic son. He would fight the man, demon or not.

The man looked at him in amusement and laughed, "My, you think you can fight me. I am the bodyguard of the respectable Shogun. Do you think you can kill me?"

"Leave us alone," said Yoshiaki as he bared his teeth.

"You are brave boy but I would finish off the two of you. You first," said the man before he raised his sword and attack Yoshiaki. Yoshiaki blocked his attack with the katana at once and they fought a few more rounds.

Taka watched worriedly and tried to think of something as he clasped his hands together and prayed. In the midst of fighting, Taka saw a figure rose up from the river and he jumped back in fear.

"What are all this noise?" said the figure annoyed and looked on in astonishment, "Why, it is Yoshiaki chan?" The figure turned and looked at Taka. " Hmm, I assume Yoshiaki chan is saving you from the man, boy?"

Taka nodded hesitantly in shock as he looked in disbelief at the almost transparent figure.

"Child, do not be afraid. This Kawada is going to save you."

However, Taka looked on with widened eyes at the figure.

"Now, do as I say, jump into the river," said Kawada as he held his hands out at Taka.

However, Taka shook his head profusely.

Kawada signed dejectedly and reassured, "This Kawada will not harm you. I promise."

Still, Taka refused to move.

Meanwhile, Yoshiaki and the man had changed side and he easily spotted Kawada speaking to Taka. Taking advantage of his distraction, the man slashed his sword at an opening Yoshiaki gave away. With a loud thud, Yoshiaki fell hard to the ground, air was knocked out of his lungs.

"I got you," the man grinned as he lifted his sword above his head, prepared to slice it through Yoshiaki's heart.

Yoshiaki eyes widened and tried to think of a way to dodge the attack when he felt a cold liquid under his feet and quickly spreading across his body.

"What?" the man cried in shock as he felt the same strange coldness under his feet and his eyes widened when he saw the wave of water from the river approached him fiercely. Within a second, the water engulfed him and pulled him deep under the river.

"Easy boys," said Kawada as he held on tightly to the two boys and traveled down the river. Though their clothes were wet, Kawada had helped them float on a platform after they crossed a river junction.

"Thank you, Kawada sama," said Yoshiaki as he smiled gratefully to the river guardian as he held on to the floating platform.

"You are welcome. Now, can you tell me where you are staying, Taka chan? You see I am quite old."

"It is just over there, across that mountain," said Taka as he pointed to the direction of the mountain.

"Alright, better get going," Kawada said in a singsong manner and glided down the river.

Soon they reached the bank and landed safely on land. After waving goodbye to Kawada, they turned to walk to Taka's village.

"I don't know why you and Kawada sama saved me," said Taka as he led them to the path back to the village.

"Why shouldn't I?" asked Yoshiaki, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I am a human? Mother always says demons are evil."

"Well, not all demons are evil. Hmm, Master Jaken always says humans are stupid and smell disgusting."

"But I am not stupid and I bath everyday." Retorted Taka.

"I see. Then Master Jaken is wrong," said Yoshiaki with an innocent smile. "There are actually good humans in the world."

"And so is mother. You are not evil," Taka said as he returned the smile. "It's getting late, Mother will be worried if I am not home."

"How far are we from your home?" asked Yoshiaki.  
"It is just down the road, do you want to stay for dinner?"

"Yes, I would like to."

It took them another ten minutes to reach the village.

"Mother!" cried Taka joyfully as he spotted his mother and ran to her.

"Taka, where have you been? Why are you all wet?" said the mother as she looked at her son lovingly.

Yoshiaki looked on enviously. He wanted to have a mother who would embrace him when he came home, who love him dearly, who he can pour all his troubles to.

"Mother, I would like to introduce you to my new friend. This is Yoshiaki," said Taka as he turned to look at Yoshiaki.

All of a sudden, Taka's mother face turned pale and her eyes glistened. Those eyes showed fear and hatred.

"Get away!" cried Taka's mother as she pulled her son close to her side.

"Mother?" Taka asked puzzled and winced at the strong protective hold of his mother.

"This boy is a demon. How many times must I remind you these creatures are dangerous?" chided the mother.

"Mother, Yoshiaki saved my life." Taka explained. "I was chased by the people of the Shogunate and he saved me."

Taka mother's eye widened as she comprehended her son's words but she continued to look warily at Yoshiaki.

At the moment, the neighbour who heard the raised voice came over and asked, "Is there any trouble?" When she saw Yoshiaki, she tensed and rushed off, crying "Demon! I must inform the priests."

"Don't!" Taka's mother called but the neighbour had already run away.

With lightning speed, she went inside the house and grabbed a dry clothing and ran out of the house. "Come with me," she instructed Yoshiaki as she grabbed his hand and ran to the far side of the forest. As the reached the end of the forest, she told him, "Run down to the other side of the hill, and far away. You should be able to go home from there. The priests will not find you."

"Why are you helping me?" asked Yoshiaki.

Taka's mother hesitated before she answered, "You saved my son, I am merely repaying back. Go now." There was something else in her eyes, but time was running out and swiftly, Yoshiaki turned away and ran on, with the dry clothing.

A while later, the priests arrived and asked about the presence of the demon child.

"Father, I am sorry. It got away," answered Taka's mother.

"I see. It is alright, Haruka san," replied the priest as he made a sign of the cross, "May the lord bless this village. Amen."

…...

Ejishima was searching ups and downs the whole palace. She was worried and petrified; the prince was nowhere to be found. She had sent guards to search for the prince where he was last seen by the playmates. It had been more than six hours since the prince was reported missing and not even the slightest trace of the prince was found by anyone.

She treated Yoshiaki like her own son. She remembered well the first day Yoshiaki was brought to her by the Lord.

_She was waiting quietly in the nursery. The Lord had appointed her as the foster mother of the young lord._

"_From now on he will be in your care."_

_Ejishima held the baby tenderly from the lord's hands. It was obvious this was a newborn baby. Ejishima was shocked. She looked up at the Lord to seek for answers._

"_My lord, I beg your answers. Who is the mother?"_

_The lord gave her a cold stare and remained aloof. Ejishima shivered slightly. Though she was much older than the young lord, she was intimidated by the lord's glare. Having seen the Lord grew up, she came to understand that the young lord disliked to be questioned. It was not her position to question the lord._

"_Yoshiaki," said the young lord._

"_I beg your pardon, my lord?"_

"_Yoshiaki will be his name."_

Ejishima quickly rushed to report to the Western Lord. She knocked on the door of her lord's study room quickly. She waited for the lord to answer and took a moment of breather.

"Come in," came the usual command.

Ejishima greeted the lord.

"What brings you here?"

Ejishima stiffened slightly and tried to speak with her voice intact, "The prince was missing. He was playing with Inuichi and the others when-"

There was a deafening growl that almost filled the whole building.

Ejishima immediately bowed her head to the floor, apologetically.

"Where was he last seen?" Sesshoumaru growled as he glared at the foster mother.

"Across the village. Near the river," answered Ejishima.

"I want the pups to be brought to me when I return," Sesshoumaru commanded.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, you cannot punish them. They are still young." Ejishima pleaded immediately.

"Do not attempt to tell me what to do," snarled Sesshoumaru as he prepared to leave.

Ejishima shivered slightly as the lord walked towards her. He could punish her if he wanted to but all he said was "Guard the house." With that, the lord was gone.

…..

There was a loud, angry howl that echoed down the hill.

Haruka woke up startled. She was sweating profusely. She thought she had heard the same growl from the past. She looked around and realized it was just a dream. She was having the same nightmare.

_"Run," the priestess told her._

_"Run? Why Kagome sama?" Haruka asked._

_Kagome caressed the cheek of the little girl and said in a dejected voice, "Why? Because this place is going to be ruined."_

_As her family travelled away from the village, Haruka heard the howl as it echoed down the hill and sent a chill down Haruka's back. She was tempted to look back at what happened to the village but his father hugged her and pressed her to his chest, preventing her from looking back. That scared her and she asked, "Papa?"_

_"Do not look, come Papa will carry you," replied his father as he lifted her up and the family continued up the hill. When they reached the top of the hill, Haruka managed to glimpsed at their village below the hill from her father's shoulder. She was frightened and shocked. The whole village was engulfed in fire. Flames burnt and smoke rose up to the sky. She shut her eyes tightly and rested her head on her father's shoulder, seeking warmth and security. Her heart prayed silently for the safety of the priestess and the lives lost._

_Till then, Haruka had not met the priestess. She wondered if Kagome sama was still around._

"Mother? Are you not sleeping?" Taka asked as he rubbed his sleepy eyes, preparing to sit up on the bed.

"Shh. Go back to sleep," murmured Haruka as she gently rested her son back on the bed and pulled the blanket over him. She patted his back gently until he fell back to sleep. After a while, Haruka came to the chapel and kneeled down in front of the cross. Haruka had lost faith once and found new faith and hopes in this new religion. She made a sign of the cross and began to pray softly, "Our father in heaven, holy be thy name…"

This village was kept secret as the Shogun had opposed to this new religion. The Shogun had ordered to capture them and threatened them to renounce their faith or face death. Haruka was fortunate to fled to this village and live peacefully for a long time. She wanted and earnestly hoped that the village would be kept safe and the world would be a peaceful place to live in.

,….

Inuyasha had wondered around Japan to search for his fiancée. However, she was nowhere to be found. He crossed to the North, as far as the Japan sea. He settled down at the abandoned villages for a short while before continuing on his journey. He once passed by a village, burnt down to ashes many moths ago. The air smelt of burnt ashes and it was like a ghost village. What were left of the houses were some charred wooden sticks. The remains of the bones were scattered among the burnt ground. The silence of the village sent a chill down his spine and he moved on with his search.

What he never knew and never guessed was that what he was looking for was just within his reach. She was so near yet so far.

Now, he was a wanderer again.

Inuyasha returned to his campsite with two rabbits, which he had hunted. As he reached the entrance of the cave, he felt the youki of another being. He tensed and walked warily inside the cave. There he found a small figure, curled up near the campfire, sleeping. He bent down and inspected the intruder. Inuyasha was surprised to see that the intruder was just a child.

"Who are you, boy?" asked Inuyasha as he saw the boy stirred to wake up. No doubt, the boy had felt his presence.

Yoshiaki woke up startled. He gasped silently when he saw a pair of bare feet beside him. He gathered himself and said in a confident tone, "I am Yoshiaki."

"What are you doing here? This is my campsite," Inuyasha said.

"I am cold and I am alone," said Yoshiaki truthfully. "I tried to look for you, sir. But you are not around, so I decided to stay here and wait for you." Yoshiaki realized he had golden eyes and he wore a red robe.

"Keh, Where's your parents?" asked Inuyasha.

"Across the western land," Yoshiaki answered briefly. He was careful in sharing information with the stranger. The man sat down beside the campfire and Yoshiaki could have a good look him. His hair was silver like his and he had dog like ears growing among them.

"Are you a demon?" asked Yoshiaki after he had a good look at the stranger.

"I am a hanyou," replied Inuyasha as he prepared to cook the rabbit.

"Oh. " Yoshiaki heard about them, they were conceived as a result of the union between a youkai and a human. There were some hanyous working in the castle.

Inuyasha was shocked to see the boy. He was a full Inu youkai and his forehead had the symbol of the House of Moon. It was impossible and he wanted to dismiss the thought.

"You are that bastard's son," Inuyasha blurted out.

"Who?" said Yoshiaki, more alarmed at the hanyou's choice of words.

"The arrogant Western Lord who looked at anyone as if they were dust," answered Inuyasha as he crossed his hands across his chest.

"Do not call my father name," said Yoshiaki as he glared at the stranger.

"I apologize. I never know that he is married," said Inuyasha as he sat back down and wait for the rabbit to be cooked.

"Father is not married."

"Then who is your mother?"

"I do not know. Father never mentioned about her to me before," answered Yoshiaki with a downcast face.

"Keh. I bet the woman left him for good," said Inuyasha.

"You speak of Father as if he is equal to you," said Yoshiaki as he looked closely at Inuyasha.

"I do not see the reason to see my half brother as a superior," Inuyasha snorted.

"You are Father's sibling?" exclaimed Yoshiaki.

"Unfortunately yes."

"Then that makes you my uncle! I didn't know you exist!"

"Same here."

"Where do you stay?"

"I stayed in a village at the Eastern Japan, Edo."

"That's far."

"Are you hungry?" asked Inuyasha as he held out the rabbit meat to Yoshiaki. "There are enough for two."

"Thank you so much," said Yoshiaki as he began to eat. "So why are you alone? Do you have friends?"

"I am searching for someone. She was missing for ten years."

"Who is she?"

"My financee,"

"I see. Would you mind telling me stories? I like to understand what life is like in the outside world. The castle is so boring."

The boy was jubilant. He found his relative. He only knew about grandmother and father. He was overjoyed to find a family member. He opened up to Inuyasha and began to speak freely about anything with him. The feeling was mutual and Inuyasha gladly replied the boy with whatever questions he asked.

As the night grows, it became colder and Yoshiaki took out the long cloth that he received for his birthday. "I am glad this is dry," Yoshiaki thought as he wrapped it around his body.

Suddenly Inuyasha jumped at him and sniffed the cloth.

"What is it?" asked Yoshiaki startled, he was tired and confused at his uncle's behavior.

"Nothing," muttered Inuyasha as he released his hold gently and went back to his sitting position. "Sleep well."

"Good night, uncle," said Yoshiaki as he lied on the ground to sleep, missing the shocked look on Inuyasha's face when he called him uncle.

….

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he sensed a familiar aura. His fingers gripped the hilt of his sword.

"What is wrong?" asked Yoshiaki, as he looked at his uncle confused. They had come out of the campsite and Inuyasha was helping him to look for a way back to the Western castle. It was not long when he spotted a white figure came flying across them. Recognizing who he was, Yoshiaki smiled widely.

However, neither Sesshoumaru nor Inuyasha was pleased.

"Father!" exclaimed Yoshiaki as he ran up to the side of his father when he landed on the grassland.

"Yoshiaki," Sesshoumaru nodded as his hand rested gently on his son's head.

"Where have you been, you naughty boy. If it is not-" said Jaken. However, he was cut off as he ran out of breath when Yoshiaki hugged him tightly. "Master Jaken!"

"Take care, kid," said Inuyasha momentarily and he turned and walked away.

"It would be a fruitless attempt to find her if you continue to search in such ways," said Sesshoumaru as he looked at the back of the hanyou.

"What do you mean?" asked Inuyasha as he stood stiffly on the ground, his eyes locked at his half brother's.

"You are looking for the woman, aren't you?" asked Sesshoumaru as he raised his eyebrow.

"It's Kagome. Keh! Don't tell me you know where she is," said Inuyasha as he turned around fully to face them, obviously displeased with Sesshoumaru.

Seeshoumaru smirked and Inuyasha read his expression well. "He knows- but how did he-." Then something struck him. He looked intently at Yoshiaki, then to his half brother. Though he had not seen his fiancée for years, the similarities were too glaring to be ignored. The boy was their son.

In the moment of realization, Inuyasha placed a hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga and wield it.

"What have you done to Kagome?" he snarled, bearing his fang.

"Father, who is Kagome?" asked Yoshiaki as he turned his head up to look at his father, confused by the conversation between the two adults.

"Stupid boy, she's you mo-" Inuyasha shouted at the boy but he was cut off as he was thrown off the ground.

Yoshiaki gasped and looked worriedly at his uncle.

"Jaken take Yoshiaki home," commanded the lord.

Without waiting for the toad's answer, Sesshoumaru charged at the hanyou. "It seems you are still a weakling."

"Bastard. I don't care what you say. Just tell me where is she," said Inuyasha as he prepared to take on the fight.

"How pathetic," sneered Sesshoumaru as he swung his sword at Inuyasha.

"Kagome is my intended and you took her away from me!" shouted Inuyasha as he blocked the attack with Tetsusaiga.

"I did no such things. The girl deserves to die, and I spared her life," replied Sesshoumaru coldly as he aimed the sword at Inuyasha.

"You bastard. You violated her," sneered Inuyasha and he swung Tetsusaiga down. "WindScar!"

…

"That filthy hanyou. He should know that he can never win my lord. As stupid as humans" muttered Jaken as he guided Yoshiaki back to the road to the castle.

Yoshiaki was shocked to hear what Jaken had muttered. He bitted his lips and asked, "What's wrong with being a human?"

"They are disgusting, just like your mother. She assisted them, she-"

What did Jaken just say? Yoshiaki thought.

"My mother?" Yoshiaki said and looked at Jaken in confusion as a wealth of emotion stirred in him.

"Aiyee. I am saying the hanyou's mother, yes the hanyou's mother," replied Jaken nervously.

"Jaken. Who is Kagome?" asked Yoshiaki, unconvinced.

"I do not know," Jaken stammered.

"Then why are father and uncle fighting? Aren't they brothers?" asked Yoshiaki in confusion. He had never seen his playmates drew swords at their siblings.

"Half brother. That hanyou is a traitor. All humans are the same."

"But what did uncle do?" asked Yoshiaki.

"He is the most disrespectful hanyou. And the wicked human murdered my precious Rin."

"Who?"

"Kagome, I can't believe my lord chose her to be your mother," muttered Jaken under his breath angrily.

"My mother? You said you do not know who she is before, Jaken sama," said Yoshiaki as he stopped his track and blocked Jaken from walking any further.

"I…er…did I say anything. Did I just admit that the wretched woman Kagome is your mother?" mumbled Jaken, mostly to himself.

"What? Wait a minute. My mother is Kagome?" exclaimed Yoshiaki.

"Aiyee!" the toad croaked. "Oh help. Please forgive this old servant. I know not what I am saying."

"Jaken sama. Stop babbling. Tell me everything now!" Yoshiaki switched to the commanding tone.

"I can't! Oh kami, let this old Jaken die before I utter anything foolish. Lord Sesshoumaru will know, Lord Sesshoumaru will murder me," the toad pleaded.

"You will and –" commanded Yoshiaki as he glared at the toad furiously. Jaken knew about his mother all this long and yet he never uttered a word of her to him. Yoshiaki felt betrayed. He felt unfairly treated.

A bright light surged through the sky in the form of a dragon.

"Father! Uncle!" cried Yoshiaki as he ran back to find them.

Jaken was relieved that the prince was distracted and stopped tormenting him to give him answers that would result in his death.

"Father, please don't hurt uncle," pleaded Yoshiaki as he spread his arms to protect the fallen hanyou. His hands were shaking as his father glared at him.

Uncle? The boy recognized this hanyou as his uncle.

"Move away, son. This has nothing to do with you," ordered Sesshoumaru coldly.

"No! Not unless you promise not to hurt uncle," retorted Yoshiaki.

"This Sesshoumaru does not repeat himself," Sesshoumaru snarled as he glared at his son to move away.

"Nor does this Yoshiaki, father," said Yoshiaki as he stood bravely.

"Why protect such filthy creature. Unworthy. Betrayers," Sesshoumaru growled, his eyes were cold and emotionless even as he looked at his son.

"No, father. You are wrong." Said Yoshiaki as he looked at his father with determination and stood stubbornly in front of the fallen hanyou.

The lord snarled at his son. "Do not try to lecture me, boy. You knew nothing at all."

"Stay away from this, Yoshiaki. Your father will never understand about us. He does not have a heart," said Inuyasha he struggled to stand up.

"But-" retorted Yoshiaki as he turned his attention to his uncle.

Taking advantage of Yoshiaki's distraction, Yoshiaki felt himself pushed to the ground.

"Nice words, hanyou," said Sesshoumaru as he grabbed the Inuyasha's neck roughly and lifted him up from the ground, green acid flowed down from his fingers and burnt the hanyou's flesh.

"Father, don't-" cried Yoshiaki as he tried to stop his father.

In a flash, he saw his uncle being thrown far away and landed heavily against a tree, which broke into half due to the impact of the fall.

"Go home now," commanded Sesshoumaru as he pulled his son's collar when he attempted to run to Inuyasha.

"Let me go," Yoshiaki struggled as he cried out for his uncle, "Uncle! Uncle!"

However, Inuyasha merely lied there covered in blood.

"Why do you call the hanyou your uncle?" asked Sesshoumaru coldly as they landed back in the Western castle.

"He is my uncle," replied Yoshiaki as he straightened himself.

"The fifthly creature is not worth to be recognized in the family," said Sesshoumaru harshly.

"So am I," said Yoshiaki as he looked bravely into the eyes of his father.

"What did you say, son?" asked Sesshoumaru as he stood rooted and looked aloofly back to his son.

"Mother is a human," said Yoshiaki. "So I am also a fifthly creature who will stain the blood of –"

Before he could finish, Yoshiaki felt a sharp pain on his cheek and he stumbled onto the ground. Yoshiaki stood up and touched his swollen cheek, realizing his father had just hit him. His pride was broken and he felt so much anger. He glared angrily at his father and almost shouted, "I hate you."

Sesshoumaru stood unmoving as he watched his son ran down the corridor.

It was the same expression. Those eyes glistened with hatred in the same way. The two have never met. Yet his actions resembled her too much.

….

"Yoshiaki sama," called Ejishima as she knocked on the shoji door. "Open the door, Yoshiaki sama."

"NO!" yelled Yoshiaki from inside the room.

"You have to eat, Yoshiaki sama. If not you will stay as short as Jaken sama," said Ejishima. She had brought food for the young lord.

"I do not care!"

Ejishima signed. It was useless to talk to Yoshiaki if he continued to act like that. This was the first time Yoshiaki threw a temper. He had locked himself in the room for one whole afternoon.

"Where is Jaken?" asked Yoshiaki.

"He is guarding at the left wing," replied Ejishima, hiding the surprise she felt, as Yoshiaki did not address the toad properly for the first time.

"Tell him I want to meet him," said Yoshiaki, his tone was commanding and there was no room for negotiation.

…

It was silent in the garden. A lone figure stood at the bank of the river and glanced up at the sky, watching the sunset.

"Are you staying?" asked Kagome, breaking the silence. She hated to ask the question, it made her sounded as if she wanted him to stay. However, the servants were petrified and confused with the demon lord. Oddly, the lord did not demand anything from her when he visited the garden. He simply stood at the same place for hours. She came to meet him only when the servants urged her to ask if he was going to stay for the night.

He turned his head and looked at her. Her sapphire eyes locked his golden eyes.

_I hate you._

He closed his eyes and turned his head away. "No," he replied. He would not stay for the night. Rather, he could not stay. A heaviness had settled in his heart and he took his leave and flew away.

….

A/N Thank you for all your support and reviews. Hmm… I agree Sesshoumaru needs to find out about the truth. So, don't worry. Anyway, I am still deciding if Kagome will go back to Inuyasha. So tell me what you think, thank you once again


	11. Confusions

Confusions

…..

He felt pain. His body was sore and burning as the poison of the demon seeped inside him. He gritted his teeth as he dragged himself back to the cave where he rested the day before. The fire had long been diminished when he left with Yoshiaki the morning. He rested his back against the cave and sat down on the cold stone floor. No matter how intense his desire was to go after his half brother, his body refused to give him the strength to do so. He rested his head on the wall and stared at nothingness.

He felt weak.

He failed to protect the one he vowed. If only he was stronger. If only he was more persistent. If only he insisted on visiting Shippo with her. Then perhaps this would never have happened. His mind was confused for he could not think of any reasons for his half brother to take his beloved away from him. They had been on good terms after the battle with Naraku. Still, the thought of Kagome suffering was unbearable for him and he growled in distress. He could not bear to think of what the demon lord had done to the woman he loved, his Kagome.

His eyes snapped open when he heard the grass ruffling. The cave was dark. He must have fallen asleep unknowingly. He flexed his limbs and was glad the wounds were healing. His golden eyes peered into the dark as his hand gripped his Tetsusaiga, ready to terminate the creature that disturbed his peace. His nose twitched as the stench of the retainer of the demon lord filled the entrance of the cave. The muttering of the toad could be heard as he approached the cave.

Not giving the toad a second to scream, Inuyasha growled and lunged for the neck of the toad.

"You! Why are you here?" Inuyasha snarled.

"Please…I can explain…Inuyasha…sama," Jaken managed to croak out as he struggled to breath.

"Feh!" Inuyasha snorted and released his hold, letting the toad plummeted to the hard stone floor. He had no desire to kill the toad.

With skilled hands, Inuyasha lighted the woods and returned to his original posture with folded his arms. He seemed to be waiting for the toad to speak.

"This Jaken come here on behalf of Prince Yoshiaki," said Jaken as he regained his composure. "The prince instructed me to bring this to you."

Jaken placed the bag of medicinal herbs in front of Inuyasha.

Inuyasha glanced at the bag and nodded. Those herbs were precious to treat wounds inflicted by taiyoukais.

"Where is your master?"

"Masters, you mean. Both Lord Sesshoumaru and Prince Yoshiaki are in the castle."

"So the demon lord does not know of your absence."

"No, it is Prince Yoshiaki who instructed me on this mission."

"So you do know where Kagome is."

Jaken did not make any response but his silent was a good enough answer for Inuyasha.

"Tell me why he took her."

Jaken shifted nervously and replied, "This Jaken promised that it will be kept secret. This one cannot –croak," Jaken stopped his rambling because clawed hands tightened his neck.

Inuyasha growled at him, "You will, toad. If not I will skin you alive, cook and boil you," Inuyasha leaned and smirked evilly, "You know I kind of missed the taste of frog meat."

Jaken shivered at the threat and begged, "Please don't kill this Jaken, Inuyasha sama."

"Then explain everything to me."

"…Yes," Jaken chocked out the answer in defeat. He felt as his days on earth was ending.

….

For the past few days, it was peaceful. Kagome blew the flute and let the melody resonate in the wind.

She thought it was strange that the demon lord stopped his visits. Not that she cared. He may be engaged in other matters. It would be better if he grew tired of her or lost interest in her. Maybe, just maybe he decided to let her go.

Shifting her fingers on the flute, she began to play another musical piece she had learnt during her days in this garden. The wind blew gently, the fragrance of the plum blossom floated into her nose. It calmed her senses and brought serenity. _Winter is approaching. _She looked up to the sky and wondered how long these peaceful days would last.

….

The tutor, Taemon looked at the prince with much interest. His usual student had been acting strange lately. Yoshiaki was more alert in class and asking wonderful questions. Not that Taemon was complaining about his change of attitude for he could not deny the fact that the prince was his brightest student at such a young age. Yet, this matter was rather peculiar.

"What ails you, Yoshiaki sama?" Taemon asked as he looked at his student sitting across him.

For a moment, Yoshiaki remained silent and pondered how to phrase his question. "Have you met any humans before?"

The subject of the question took Taemon aback, "Of course I have."

"What is your opinion on human beings?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I am curious, sensei."

"Well, let's see. Humans are intrigue creatures indeed. For one, they show too much emotion, their senses are dull and they do not have powers like us. However, there are intellects among humans. They know many things demons do not. There are journals and books written by accomplished writers, which I hold high opinion of. The most remarkable ones are from the mainland, which is why you are encouraged to read on Chinese literature and study Chinese classic. In fact, there are human scholars in the Western lands. Well, although they are rare."

Yoshikai nodded at his reply. "Why do we….youkais hate them?"

Taemon chuckled, "Youkais and humans are natural enemies."

"I do not understand," Yoshiaki shook his head. No one teach him how to discriminate. He often overheard the guards and servants said that humans were considered lower beings and they were despicable creatures. However, he did not agree with the youkais. Rather, he could not believe that humans were such beings.

"You will eventually, my young lord. It takes time."

"But…" Yoshiaki muttered, he was lost at words. Taka was a human and he was his good friend. Taka's mother was kind even if she disliked him. They are good people. He could not understand why youkais hated them. He could not see himself hating them one day. And then there was his mother…Jaken mentioned his mother was a human. How could he hate his own mother just because she was born of a different kind?

…..

After the lessons ended, Yoshiaki stayed in his room to practice calligraphy. He looked at the characters he wrote: Higurashi Kagome. It was a beautiful name. The name was special to him. He felt at ease. It was as if part of the void in his heart was filled up with the name. Mother was a human and a priestess. Does that make him a half human? He looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was silvery white, his ears were pointed and his canine teeth were lengthening. He was a full youkai but how was that possible?

He could not understand his father actions for keeping his mother away from him. Was it the fact that they were enemies? Then why would father choose to mate her? The mere thought of his father's cruelty and selfishness made him angry. He touched his cheek, the bruise was gone but his pride was still broken. He respected his father. That was the first argument he had with his father. That was the first time his father lifted a hand at him.

Yoshiaki stood up and walked to the backyard where he practiced his swordsmanship. Soon, he was greeted by his playmates.

"Yoshiaki sama, I am so glad you are safe," said Inuichi.

Yoshiaki greeted them with joy, "Inuichi! Katsuichi! Did Father punish you?"

"No, Lord Sesshoumaru spared us," answered Katsuichi.

"I am glad to hear that. It is my fault after all." Yoshiaki apologized. However, no one would have guessed what had happened. Maybe it was fate. Yoshiaki could not help himself but be glad that he was hid under the tree that day. He would not have been able to meet Taka nor his uncle. Most importantly, he got to know about his mother. "Say, do you want to go to the forest again?"

Katsuichi immediately shook his head, "I do not think it is a good idea."

"That is suicidal. We will be killed for letting you go missing again," Inuichi added in a serious tone. "Moreover, we are in war. You do not want to be captured by the enemy."

Yoshiaki retorted, "We would not go far. Ejishima sama would keep a look out at us." Deep down, Yoshiaki knew it was dangerous to leave the castle, not after the incident. However, there were people, not just youkais, he would like to meet outside the castle wall. There was truth beneath the surface, behind those walls, which surrounded him. There was nothing he would not risk to rescue his mother. There was nothing he would not risk to find his answers. Nothing will stop him.

Just as Inuichi was trying to think of a way to dissuade the prince, they heard shouting and a clashing sound, from the other side of the corridor.

"Do not think so highly of yourself, Kuro!" the voice shouted with rage and disgust. "You are nothing but a disgrace to the clan!" Then, followed by a powerful blast of youki, a male demon was seen thrown past the stretch of corridor and landed with a loud crash. The demon kneeled down on one knee and touched the ground with one hand to weaken the impact. With a flash, the one who landed the blow disappeared from the sight of the others as he turned the corner to the other wing of the corridor.

The remaining demon stood up gracefully and wiped the dust of his kimono. His expression was passive as if nothing had happened. He turned his head as he spotted the three younger demons staring at him at the end of the corridor. He seemed to recognise Yoshiaki and bowed politely before heading away.

"Wait!" Yoshiaki ordered. "There is something I want to ask."

The demon stopped his tracks and turned to face the young lord as Yoshiaki approached him. "Greetings, my lord. To what do this Kuro owe the honor to speak with you?"

Yoshiaki looked up at the taller demon and studied his features. This demon named Kuro had jet-black hair and a balanced face. His eyes were violet and his nose was exceptionally pointed. However, what intrigued Yoshiaki most was Kuro's youki. It betrayed his bloodline.

Kuro was mixed blood.

…

"It seems the Western Lands have yet to recover from the last battle, my lord," reported one of the Councillors. The Easternlings were having a meeting about the war. The court was notified that the second-general in command had succeeded in bringing the Central district of the Western lands down.

"Hn," Takeo smirked at the thought that Sesshoumaru was still licking his wounds from the last battle. Then he turned to his subordinates, "What do you have in mind, general?"

The general answered, "My lord, I would like to advance to the Southern district of the Western lands with my troops."

"Very well," Takeo said and gave his approval. Then his eyes shifted to the womanly figure, kneeling beside his general. "What about you?"

"I have made all the preparations as requested, Takeo sama," the woman answered.

"Can I trust you?"

"Rest assured. Nothing will interfere. In exchange for my service…."

"The payment will be granted to you as promised," Takeo answered with a satisfied smile.

The Western lands would fall. It was just a matter of time.

….

Sesshoumaru read the report written by the Ministry of Defense. The silver bullet extracted from him was sent for laboratory tests and examinations. It took a day and a half before the scientists and ministry of defense came back with a report on this new power acquired by the Eastern Lands. The toxic and poisons were not unfamiliar to the youkai society but there were discoveries of the contents of the modified bullet. Indeed, it seemed the Easternlings had advanced in their weaponries faster than the Westernlings. Furthermore, news of the downfall of the Central district hit the Western lands. Sesshoumaru looked at the map of the Western lands and contemplated on the situation. The Central district was one of the strongest hold of the Western lands. As a result, the Western armies were slightly weakened and the morals were low in the courts. Sesshoumaru stared at the map intensively, he was sure the next target of the Eastern army would be the Southern district, the second strongest hold in the Western lands, where the mountains were high and the fort was strong. There were allies among other clans. Some wolf clans were part of the allies of the House of Moon and they had swore to guard and protect the Southern district whenever times called for them. After much thinking, Sesshoumaru decided he would write a letter to the wolf clans later the day.

He sniffed the air and turned to look at the door. As expected, his mother came to the room without knocking.

"Sesshoumaru chan," his mother greeted him solemnly. "You must have heard the news. It's about Mizuko."

Mizuko was Sesshoumaru's younger sister. She was praised for her beauty and intelligence. She was elegant and her poise showed her fine upbringing. She was married to a taiyoukai who was the lord of the Central district of the Western lands. Since then, she seldom returned to the Western castle to visit, as she was busy with taking care of her children and supporting her husband. For nearly fifteen years, she had not came to visit the Western castle as the Central district of the Western lands was in the midst of battle with the Eastern armies. Lately, the downfall of the Central district distressed the whole of Western lands and the members of the Western clans were demoralized. Mizuko's husband, the leader of the Central district, died in the battle, forcing the clan members to defend for themselves with whatever strength they could. As such, Mizuko was arranged to be move back to the Western castle safely and to reunite with her clan members, along with her children.

Sesshoumaru nodded lightly, "I was informed, Mother."

"It's really sudden, isn't it," the Western Lady said quietly, though she sounded as if she was talking about nothing in particular, her tensed posture and wavering youki betrayed her state of distress, "I can't wait to see Mizuko chan. She must be terribly frightened."

"Mizuko is on her way to the castle with her children. I have sent my men to escort them safely here," Sesshoumaru said.

"Well, at least that makes me less worried," said the Western Lady as she placed a hand over her worried heart. Her eyes hardened as she noticed the map of the Western Lands. Instantly, her behavior changed and she lifted her hand and drew an invisible circle over the Southern district. "So, with regards to the war, do you have any idea how are we going to protect this part of the land?"

"This one is making preparations. I will be writing to the Wolf clans."

"I see…we made a great loss in the recent battle, didn't we," the Lady said dejectedly. The affairs of the Western Lands were her main concerns since the death of the great Daiyoukai Lord. She had been guarding the House of Moon for her whole life. She loved the lands and people of the Western Lands. It pained her to see her people suffer.

….

"Greetings to you, Lord Sesshoumaru and mother. I am glad to see you all in good health," Mizuko bowed down politely as she was escorted to the main entrance hall with her children.

"This one welcomes you back to the castle, Mizuko," Sesshoumaru greeted back.

"My pleasure, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"I wished there was something I could do for you, Mizuko chan," said the Western Lady softly. Her eyes were soft and full of care and love for her dearest daughter. It seemed like ages since she last seen her child.

"Oh mother," Mizuko exclaimed, unable to think of anything to say. The sorrows and grief of her loss was obvious on her fatigued body.

"Come, I shall introduce you to the young prince," the Lady said as she moved forward and clasped her daughter's hands in hers.

Mizuko had heard news of the heir of the Western lands, of his intelligence and swordsmanship. She was indeed eager to meet her young nephew. The Lady led Mizuko and the young children to Yoshiaki's room. Yoshiaki was already well dressed, waiting patiently for the arrival of the guests. Upon the arrival of his relatives, Yoshiaki bowed and greeted them in the proper way. It was all very formal.

Tea and light snacks were brought in for the guests and Yoshiaki made short conversation with his cousins. They were all still very young. The oldest was the same age as Inuichi but the youngest was only five years old. It was heartbreaking to learn that they lost their father.

Yoshiaki fidgeted as he felt the gaze of his aunt's golden eyes on him. She had been staring at him discreetly since she met him. He shifted his gaze to look at his aunt and almost immediately looked away again when his eyes met hers. He felt unease that his aunt was staring at him.

The Lady seemed to notice something amiss, looked at her daughter with worried eyes, "What's wrong, Mizuko chan?"

Nonchalantly, Mizuko answered, "Nothing's wrong. I am just tired, mother."

"Right, the trip must have tired you. Please get some rest."

"Thank you," Mizuko said and prepared to take her leave. She turned and addressed Yoshiaki, "Oh and Yoshiaki dear, would you like to play with your cousins?"

At the sound of his name, Yoshiaki turned and looked at his aunt. He nodded his head and replied, "Yes, I would very like to. May you have a good rest, Mizuko sama."

"Yes, I will."

…..

A/N Sorry to keep you waiting. Hope you like this chapter and how the story is developing. :)


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